Raven Rising, Book 2: Scars
by Outside85
Summary: With Raven being inducted into the Justice League, the Titans are now ready to retrieve their lost comrade. But not everyone has been as fortunate as they have, and soon the Titans will know how deep Scars can go. Following Raven Rising, Book 1, New Gotham Adventures Rated M for contents (comic book stuff)
1. To Tamaran We Go!

**Author note: **If you are a new reader; first of all welcome, and do check out; Raven Rising, Book 1; New Gotham Adventures that leads up to this.

**Disclaimer: **I dont own the Teen Titans, Justice League or other DC characters that appear here.

* * *

Two hours later the Titans are packing the last bits into the newly-built T-ship that had been transported to the station hangar yesterday. They aren't bringing a lot gear for the actual mission, just a few things for the trip. Beastboy has a few comics, Raven having taken a book and a fresh cloak provided by Alfred, apparently Bruce figured the other one would not survive the trip with Green Lantern. Nightwing and Cyborg haven't brought anything since they will be flying the ship. The time between the induction and now has been spent on first a few rounds of congratulations from Leaguers and Titans alike, then Raven was carted aside to be informed of a few League details as well as getting a communicator. The last hour Raven spent in a shower, getting everything Mogo off her body and clothes. The shower of course freshened her up for 10 minutes, before the tiredness returned with a vengeance. Right now she can't wait to get going so she can get some sleep.

"Got everything you need?" Batman asks Nightwing who is checking everything in his pod, remembering all of the controls.

"Yeah, except for Blackfire, we are ready to go." He replies without looking at the man.

"John is getting her." Nightwing nods at him.

"You look tired." Diana notes as she looks at Raven, who for the sake of staying awake, is standing on the ground next her pod. Raven has made one small adjustment to her attire after showering, without the need to hide them; she now openly wears her bracelets on the outside of her sleeves, which makes half of them stand out against the black fabric and under the blue cuffs.

"Being awake so long will do that." Raven replies in a tired voice.

"And you are sure you are up to this?"

"For Starfire, I would go if missed three weeks. But I will get some sleep on the flight, took us about a day last time we went to Tamaran."

"Well I will wish you luck, it sounds like your bargaining chip has arrived." Like Raven, Diana has picked up the swearing of a certain alien woman.

"Let go of me!" Blackfire snaps as she is being led by Green Lantern who's holding onto her left upper arm. She is again sporting the heavy pair of handcuffs from the Hall, which she is wearing so she won't be able to break free while in flight.

"Take it easy your highness, you're going home and we are sending an escort with you." John says as he guides her into the hanger, Blackfire freezes when she sees her escort.

"You can't be serious?! They'll kill me!" She says and digs her heels into the floor refusing to come any closer. John scoops her up in a green bowl and keeps walking.

"I'm sure they will try not to." He says as he drops her into the center seat, the one Beastboy usually occupied. The seatbelts close around her, restricting her movement even further, courtesy of Raven before the hatch is closed over her. Nightwing takes a look at her before he stands up in his pod.

"Ok, everyone, I hope you have what you need and Beastboy I hope you have visited the bathroom." He adds the last part with a smirk, remembering the last time they went to Tamaran.

"Dude I just came from there!" Garfield replies with his wounded pride as he jumps into his pod.

"Go with the gods Raven." Diana says as Raven floats up into her pod.

"I will Diana, take care."

"Here, you might need this." Batman says to Nightwing as he tosses a metal cylinder up to him, Nightwing gives him a questioning look before Batman nods his head in Raven's direction.

"Ah, thanks." Nightwing replies as he realizes what it is and what it's for.

"Good luck." Batman replies before exiting the hangar with Diana in tow before its sealed.

"All 'right yall, ignition sequence is started and we are good to go!" Cyborg says loudly apparently pleased his ship is coming to life, for some reason he halts the ship at the open hangar doors.

"Did you forget something?" Nightwing asks over the intercom, hoping Beastboy wouldn't suddenly remember something when they were halfway out of the solar system.

"Aren't you supposed to say something?" Cyborg replies, Nightwing smirks realizing what it was.

"Titans GO!" He yells as they blast out of the hangar and into the depths of space.

They are passing Mars after roughly 30 minutes of flight; Cyborg had explained that they needed to get out of the solar system before they can jump to light speed, or risk smashing one of the asteroid belts that lurks between the outer planets. All the while Blackfire has been straining to get comfortable in her seat while keeping quiet and eyeing Raven for some reason.

"You know Raven, the League wheeled some freak into my cell who claimed she was you." Raven ignores her. "She couldn't have been you, since I know you. You are too weak to be anything like that, but if she hadn't actually bit me, I would have offered her a job to work on my sister." The others in the ship try to catch glazes at Raven without turning their heads while wondering if Blackfire thought Raven would somehow flip and break her free.

"Cyborg, do you need me to get out of the system?" Raven asks continuing to ignore Blackfire.

"Hmm nope, Nightwing and I can take it from here."

"Good, I need some rest so can you keep the orange idiot quiet?"

"Oh no, looks like I accidentally switched off Blackfire's intercom." Cyborg replies in a mock apologetic tone. "Anyways, sleep tight Amazon."

"I will." Raven says, before reclining her seat and tries to get comfortable under her cape, after a moment she reaches for a switch and shuts off communication to the others as well.

"I see she turned us off as well." Nightwing notes to the others.

"So how long did you know Rob?" Cyborg asks, it had not gone him by that neither Batman nor Nightwing acted surprised when Diana revealed the big secret.

"We found out by accident two days before she went off with Green Lantern, naturally it was Batman that noticed. After that we had her tell the story."

"So how did you react?" Beastboys asks.

"At first I was mildly surprised, but it only really sunk in later that night when we had Diana and J'onn over for dinner. Like you my jaw dropped when Diana greeted Raven like an Amazon. So what do you guys think about it?"

"I think I'm still in the process of taking it in. Had you asked me before the meeting if I thought Rae was an Amazon I would have smacked you for mixing her up with Star." Cyborg replies.

"I only got one question. Can she get me over there?" Beastboy asks hopefully, getting a laugh out of Cyborg and smirk on Nightwing.

"Gar if you did, the Amazons would probably kill you." Nightwing replies, knowing it was probably true.

"Nah, come on, I can be really sneaky on a jungle island."

"In that case they will kill you then probably serve you as dinner." Cyborg adds while thinking of a terrified green boar getting chased through the jungle by a group of spear wielding women.

"Cy, yuk." Nightwing adds.

"So what do you think Rob?" Beastboy asks, keen on some payback.

"Initially I was like Cyborg, but I am happy that Raven has a new home where people like her. Actually I am a little worried that she might one day move to Themyscira permanently and forget all about us."

"She'd never do that, but why Rob? Afraid you won't get a chance to make a move on her?" Cyborg teases, knowing where Beastboy is going, Nightwing sighs again, he has been cornered again.

"Ok, all right, yes like her like that and I would like to be in a relationship with her. But I like her too much as a friend to risk losing her friendship if she doesn't feel the same. Are you two happy now?" He asks in an agitated tone, oddly enough they both remain quiet apparently they were expecting him to deny it.

"Just remember Rob, its Rae we are talking about. And you can't win a war of attrition against her, especially over an emotional matter." Cyborg says quietly. "And you answer to me if you hurt her." This last part brings a smile back to Nightwing's face.

"She's an Amazon now Cy, if anyone will get hurt, it's going to be me."

"I think he may have a point there Cy." Beastboy quips, remembering the deeds Raven had done.

"Yeah, I guess, but just so you know!" Cyborg continues in a warning tone, it matters little to him that Raven is more powerful, he is still her unofficial big brother.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her." Nightwing assures. "So how about you two matchmakers?" The ship goes oddly quiet at the question.

Raven sleeps almost 20 hours straight waking up as the ship begins to shake as it slows down to exit the light speed journey.

"Morning Rae." Cyborg greets as she leans up, being the only one able to overwrite Raven's decision to turn off the intercom in her pod.

"If you say so." She grumbles. "Where are we?"

"We are just coming out near the Vega star-system." Cyborg replies while Raven gets her seat positioned correctly, both Beastboy and Nightwing are sleeping as well, the same with Blackfire who had nothing else to do other than fume, stare at Nightwing's hair or Beastboy and sleep. Raven eyes begin scanning the space around her as they come back out into real space. "Looking for something?"

"A precaution hopefully." Raven replies before she spots a large blue sphere hanging in space to her right, it is too far away to tell, but Raven lowers her mental defenses to check. _"Mogo is that you?"_

"_I am here if needed."_ Raven smirks, it was nice to know someone familiar had been selected for the request.

"Care to explain?" Cyborg asks.

"Can you see that planet over there?" She asks while pointing.

"Yeah, what about it?" Cyborg replies.

"I heard from the Lanterns that Vega is a very bad patch of space these days, if we have to run, make for that planet; the cavalry will be there."

"Ok, I guess you made arrangements with someone, I will program the pods to head for it if needed." Cyborg replies.

"_Be careful." _Mogo sends, for some reason Raven wonders why a planet should care about things that are so small in comparison to it.

"_We will."_

"According to the charts Green Lantern provided us with, we are now officially inside the Vega system." Cyborg says while looking at a display in front of him. The others awoke an hour after Raven.

"Blackfire, is there any blockades in here you would like to talk about before we run into them?" Nightwing asks after having Cyborg turn on her intercom again.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Is the sour reply from the empress.

"Because if they think we are hostile they might decide to blow us apart." Raven adds calmly, Blackfire fumes some more before answering.

"There's the orbital defenses and the fleet docks we have to bypass, they are stationed around Tamaran. But they shouldn't bother us if you pretend to be mercenaries or pirates."

"Sounds like charming company." Nightwing replies.

"Best money can buy." Blackfire smirks back before turning her attention to Raven. "Getting scared little bird?" She asks in a mock concerned tone, Raven rolls her eyes.

"I don't do fear. At least not of anything you can come up with." She adds the second part as she feels a sudden stab of fear in her three friends.

"HA! You're just acting; I can taste your fear from here." The three male Titans wonder if Blackfire has a death wish.

"I'm an empath remember, I and from what I can see, you are the one you describe. Let me guess, you are afraid someone has taken your throne while you were away?" Raven asks calmly, the other Titans smirk as she receives no reply other than grumbling.

"Whoa, that's one freaky looking planet." Beastboy says as they pass a dark planet that has large rock spikes reaching from the surface into space, if one painted it yellow it would look like a star for a Christmas tree.

"Okaara." Blackfire and Raven replies simultaneously, which freaks out everyone. As Raven looks at the planet she can feel an emotion coming from it, only one, and it comes from one tiny being. Raven blinks a few times as memories flood her, images of the Guardians making a trade with a bipedal dog-like alien; the Guardians hand over an object covered in cloth while they receive a small box. The alien looks pleased as it pulls the cloth away to reveal what looks like an orange lantern battery. Raven feels one thing from the planet and only hears one word spoken in the memory.

"_MINE!"_ As the alien holds the lantern it is over come with an overwhelming sense of greed.

"Umm, Titans to Raven?" Beastboy asks noticing the vacant stare in Ravens eyes, she blinks a few times returning to the real world.

"Sorry, just a memory the Guardian had of the place. Blackfire, am I correct in the Warlords don't actually live on Okaara?"

"They live on the planets moon. Why?"

"Just curious." That she can feel the greed from here, Raven guesses that whatever is radiating it would not share a planet with anyone. She makes a note to ask either the Lanterns or preferably Ganthet about it if she meets him again.

"Okaara itself is a barren world but no one ever goes there, at least not anyone that has ever returned." Blackfires words make sense to Raven; anything setting foot on the planet would undoubtedly be desired as property.

"Not even your army?" Cyborg asks, remembering being told of the invasion Blackfire had conducted.

"We had nothing to go there for, but the Warlords would bow to my whishes and now they do." She replies with an evil smirk.

"Tamaran dead ahead." Nightwing calls as a small pink sphere grows larger in front of them.

"I do hope you'll like what I have done with the place." Blackfire says with a smirk. As they come closer the first obstacle appears, the orbital defense system. The system consists of hundreds spheres that contain weapon systems, scanners and generators that can form a shield around individual spheres or the entire planet if needed. They all hanging motionless in a grid that is the first line of defense, it is enough to deter any but the most determined attacker. Cyborg is impressed at the tech, and worried.

"I suppose the system won't activate unless told to?" He asks.

"It scares potential soldiers away if they get shot at before asking for a job." Blackfire says proudly as they pass between three of the spheres. Cyborg notes the grid is triangular in design; some places there are larger holes than the one they pass through, meant for bigger ships than his.

Behind the orbital defense system, Cyborg notes that several huge structures hang in space, each a dock for the ships too large to enter Tamaran's atmosphere. His scanners tell him that the area's around each dock is an anthill with smaller ships coming and going in an endless stream. Raven notes Victor's unease at the amount of potential hostiles and picks up her microphone, setting her channel to only him. Fortunately Beastboy is too awestruck to care that the sight might be dangerous, and Nightwing is as always radiating determination.

"You ok?" She asks.

"Yeah, just need some time to figure out how to get past them all if we have to."

"I may have an idea, but it will depend on how much Blackfire's subjects miss her, hang on I will need to talk to Nightwing." For some reason Cyborg feels better already as Raven switches channel.

"Nightwing."

"Yeah, what's up Raven?" He replies.

"Do you have any ideas how to get past all of this?" She asks, wanting to know if there is an alternative to what she is thinking.

"We can't count on Her Highness' goodwill on this, so I am thinking of something else." He replies, sadly to Raven that's a sign he didn't have a quick answer on hand.

"A suggestion?" She asks.

"Go ahead."

"As far as we know, the only one Blackfire cares about is herself. If we just get Starfire handed over, we risk Blackfire ordering everyone to shoot at us when we leave." Nightwing nods, he had reached the same conclusion, if you can torture your own sister for four years, blowing her up from afar is nothing. "What if Blackfire is still with us when we leave?"

"They will at least hesitate." He surmises. "But how will we do that if she has been handed over to her people?"

"I remember the outlay of the palace fairly accurately, Blackfire will most likely head directly to the throne room once freed."

"To make sure no one has taken it from her." He continues.

"Yeah, I can take her before she gets there while you get ready to get out as fast as possible."

"And the risk is?" He asks.

"The risk is that her people don't want her back or someone has taken the throne in her absence and is just waiting for the chance to make sure she's not going to be a problem."

"And when they chase us? Those people will come after us if we kidnap her and this ship is not made to run and fight all the way back to Earth." He argues.

"We won't have to, Cyborg has programmed our pods to head to a planet just outside the system where some friendlies will be waiting."

"You asked the Lantern Corp?" He asks, guessing who it is.

"I was uncertain if Ganthet could get the other Guardians to agree, but apparently Blackfire is on their wanted list, along with quite a lot of other people in here." Richard grows a smirk.

"So we get in, get Star back, kidnap her sister and then blast out of the system? Sounds like a typical Titan mission, I'll let the others know." He smirks. Next to Raven Blackfire tries to guess what they are talking about, she gets a little worried as Raven turns to her and smirks a little before her eyes grow black for a second.

"What did you do?" Raven looks over at her again raising an eyebrow. "I demand to know what you did to me!" She shouts.

"I didn't do anything." Raven replies. _"Put a piece of my soul into her top so I can pinpoint her location."_ She sends to Richard.

"_Nice."_

"I won't stand for this! I demand to know what you did!" Blackfire continues.

"Too bad, you're sitting down." Beastboy says before bursting in to laughter along with Cyborg, which breaks the tension both were feeling towards the situation, Blackfire just stares hatefully at Beastboy while growing red in the face. This is underlined when they begin entering the atmosphere.

Soon enough they are heading towards the capitol where the royal palace is seated, as the city comes into view, the Titans are surprised; it looks very little like the city they remembered. Where the buildings were once far apart with many small parks and gardens in between, they are now cramped and all of the once vacant space has been taken up by new structures that just by the looks tell the Titans that Tamaran has shifted from the joy-seeking culture it once was into an industrial nightmare.

"Very 1920'ties." Nightwing says out loud as he observes the streets below, to him it's like looking at pictures of a coalmine community in a developing nation.

"Thank you, I modeled it after book I read on Earth." Blackfire smirks, the others remain quiet.

"Royal Palace up a head." Beastboy says as they pass though a smoke cloud and sees a huge structure that once was the Royal Palace.

"_Royal_ _Fortress is a better word for that thing."_ Nightwing thinks. Where it once had thin towers that reached high into the sky, it is now a massive squat structure that is wider than it is high. Once made only of slightly pinkish stones it is now dull grey concrete. As if in mockery of what it once was or defiance against what it has become, the old palace spires are still visible in some places, making a stark contrast between the colors.

"Home sweet home." Blackfire says as the ship lands on a vacant platform near the base of the palace. As they touch down, several royal guards with spears rush to the ship. Raven is the first to open her pod to the outside world, almost choking at the smell of the pollution in the air.

"_Move your ship! You can't park here!"_ One of the guards shouts angrily at Raven in taramanese. She looks at him for a second as the others opens their pods as well, Beastboy coughing.

"_Easy, we have come to negotiate."_ Raven replies while holding up her hands indicating she doesn't want to fight.

"_Traders park at the spaceport, now move it!" _The guard orders, Raven uses her powers to pop open Blackfires pod and lifts her out, letting her dangle a few feet over the ship.

"Put me down!" Blackfire shouts while pulling at her restraints, the two guards eyes grow wide at the sight of the fuming monarch.

"_Your Highness!"_ The shouter exclaims before lowering his gaze before turning to his comrade. _"Get the negotiator, now!" _

Shortly after an official looking Tamaranian in a long flowing purple robe emerges onto the platform, followed by several more guards who quickly surround the ship.

"_Your Highness! What is your command?_" The negotiator asks as he also lowers his gaze.

"_What do you think you idiot? Get me free!"_ Blackfire snarls back, the man quickly nods at her before motioning for the guards who begin to advance; they take one step before Blackfire has Cyborg's sonic cannon aimed at her head. _"No you idiot, do you damn job!"_ Blackfire shouts in surprise while trying to get her head out of the way.

"_Of course, of course a thousand apologies you Highness. Lower your weapons!" _The guards obey quickly and take a step back.

"_We won't negotiate like this, you can keep three guards; we assure you won't need more. If our demands are met, you get your monarch back and we leave. If we see one hostile gesture, we leave with her."_ Raven says sternly while floating down to the ground to stand in front of the negotiator.

"_You, you and you, stay." _The seven other guards quickly leave the platform. _"There, what do you wish?"_ He asks.

"_Her sister; Starfire."_ Raven replies flatly while staring the man down, who stares back in disbelief.

"_You would trade the monarch for the slave?!" _He asks, completely forgetting his ruler is within earshot and with a cannon pointing at her head.

"_Careful or it will be the cripple for Starfire; it will be all we ask."_ Raven says without breaking eye contact.

"_Do it you fool!"_ Blackfire yells as Cyborg's cannon begin to hum, which is purely automatic and not actually the sound it makes before it discarges.

"_Of course, of course you're Highness."_ The man stammers before turning to one of the guards. "_Get the slave up here!"_

"_Call her that again at your own peril."_ Raven warns in a low and dangerous voice as one of the guards disappears, the man visibly cringes.

"How's it going?" Beastboy asks from behind Raven.

"They are getting her, Cyborg get the ship ready." She replies without turning, the other three sit down in their seats as Cyborg turns the ship around so the engine exhausts are facing the doorway. Raven lowers Blackfire onto the ground next to her, letting the woman stand on her own feet while making sure her hands or arms can't move.

A few minutes later, two guards exits the doorway carrying a stretcher between them, it takes all of Raven's willpower not to leap to the side of the figure on it. Though it was unintentional, she is suddenly glad none of the others can see the figure she knows is her long lost friend. Once she always wore her light purple top and skirt along with her tall boots, now she is only dressed in brown rags that have clearly never seen wash, neither has Starfire it seems as Raven can see the lice jumping out of her thin hair that's fallen out in places. She is clearly malnourished; her once athletic body is little more than a skeleton with a layer of skin over it. A layer of skin that tells volumes of the abuse the poor woman has endured; there are old scars that have healed in an ugly fashion in very visible places like the slash across her midsection. Others like the one on her right cheek are very recent, telling the abuse continued even in Blackfire's absence. Through the thin layer of skin and muscles on Starfire's limbs, Raven can see some of her bones have been broken at some point, some healed wrongly. As far as Raven can tell she is unconscious as she doesn't stir. The cold logical part of Ravens mind tells her Starfire is most likely condemned to a wheelchair for the rest of her life if she doesn't die before that. But the loudest voice she is trying to silence is Rage and her brood, who is literally screaming at her to rip Blackfire limb from limb, somehow she manages to uphold her stone cold façade.

"_Put her down, gently." _She instructs the guards who comply, Starfire twitches slightly. Raven unclasps her cloak and covers her friend in it; the others don't need the distraction for the next part. _"Blackfire, go."_ She instructs and lets her influence on Blackfire disappear. Raven stares straight ahead as she picks up Starfire in her arms, she cringes on the inside as she notes Starfire weights almost nothing and her bones that pokes into her skin. At her own side of the ship she levitates up to the top and sees the others waiting, their eyes grow wide at the sight of the starved face under Raven's hood.

"Don't look, don't speak." She says sternly, quelling the exclamation about to burst from the three. "We need to remain cool or we won't live to give her the attention she needs." As she gently puts Starfire into the center pod she spies Blackfire, the negotiator and the guards disappear in thought the doorway. "Get ready to leave; I got some garbage to collect." She says before she closes Starfire's pod and disappears.

"_Get these blasted things off me!" _Blackfire shouts at her underlings as she keeps walking in brisk pace towards her throne room, using the narrow corridors leading from the landing pad. _"And get ready to blow those pathetic worms out of the sky!"_

"_At once your Highness!" _The negotiator agrees behind her._ "Quickly, get the engineers!"_

"_I am afraid your barbaric ruler is going to be wearing those cuffs for some time to come."_ A flat but menacing voice sounds form up ahead causing the group to halt as a figure appears before them, one with four glowing red eyes.

"_Guar…!"_ Blackfires command is drowned out by the sound of the ceiling collapsing behind her, crushing the guards beneath it along with the right leg of the negotiator. Blackfire does not turn away as the figure quickly closes the distance between them raising a fist as it comes close, Blackfire doesn't even attempt shield herself before a fist thunders into her face, breaking her nose and knocks her into the rubble behind her.

As Raven advances to retrieve the unconscious Blackfire, she passes the trapped and whimpering negotiator. _"Pl…please don't hurt me." _He pleads while holding his arms up to shield himself, Raven only halts and snarls at him before backhanding him once.

The others are waiting anxiously for Raven to get back, even if it has only been a minute, but they are still startled as Raven appears in her demon form with Blackfire slung over her shoulder. "Let's get going!" She says quickly as she shoves Blackfire roughly into the cramped space behind her own seat.

"You got it Rae." Cyborg says as the ship begins to lift of the ground as Raven jumps into her seat and seals the pod.

"We don't have much time before they find out, Cyborg show us why we let you build this thing alone." Nightwing says from up front, guessing Raven had to deal with a group of guards to get to Blackfire.

"Thought you'd never ask." Cyborg smirks. "BOUYA!" He shouts, as he engages the thrusters and the ship responds by blasting into the sky, leaving the Royal Palace far behind.

* * *

R&R :)


	2. Fallen Stars and Friendly Poozers

They get as far as past the orbital ship yards before trouble rears its ugly head.

"Titans! Incoming!" Nightwing shouts as he sees the swarm of dots heading in their direction on his scanner.

"Hold tight y'all we are coming up on the orbital defense system." Cyborg replies as explosions begin to blossom around them.

"You think they would want her back in one piece!" Beastboy complains as a red laser beam zooms right past him.

"Don't worry; I made her hard to target." Cyborg ensures as they pass the orbital defense spheres.

"Cyborg, how fast can we get to that planet?" Nightwing asks.

"If we keep it together we will be there in 10 minutes, but the engine will need to shut down when we get there." Cyborg calls back.

"Do we have anything to throw at them?" Raven asks slightly agitated as two explosions blossom around them. "Preferably before we are blown apart?"

"Sure we do Rae, FLARES!" Cyborg bellows like a kid before a puffing sound is heard behind them.

"Uhh, thanks." Raven says as she rubs her ears. Behind them the closest pursuers are riddled by miniscule explosions before they lose all power.

"Miniature EMP mines, works like a charm." Cyborg says proudly as he sees several spots on his screen disappear.

"Nice work Cyborg, but I think we need something a little bigger now." Nightwing says as he sees a large shape slowly appearing behind them.

"Gah!" Cyborg's jaw drops as he sees it, it's colossal there's no other word for it. "Hold on people!" He takes a risk and steers them in between Okaara and its moon, deftly avoiding the asteroid belt he detected there. Some of the pursuers aren't quite as fortunate as a few explosions behind them prove. The massive ship following them is forced to steer around the moon and drops off their scanners.

"DUDE you rock!" Beastboy yells happily as they leave Okaara and its moon behind. "AH!" Almost instantly afterwards a blast slams into the ship between him and Starfire.

"You where saying?" Raven asks in an annoyed tone. Cyborg saw where the blast came from and turns hard to the right and climbs, a second later three tiny ships race past them from above.

"Damn their fast." Cyborg swears he only took his attention off the scanners for a second. Seeing the edge of the system and the stretch to the designated planet Raven nominated as safe haven, he redoubles his efforts and pops his second round of EMP flares while pushing the engines to the max. Raven apparently sees the same and focuses, letting a shield surround the ship.

"Almost there guys!" Beastboy calls as he spots the planet he guesses is the one.

"Vic if you have any more flares…ARH!" Nightwing is cut off by a blast that hits the front end of the ship, Ravens shield prevents any serious damage to the ship but Nightwing gets a face full of sparks and shrapnel as his instrument panel blows up. His cry is enough to break Ravens concentration and she drops the shield to check on him.

"RAVEN, GET THAT SHIELD BACK UP!" Cyborg yells in panic as the large ship appears again on his scanner, Raven looks at him confused for a second before willing herself to focus on bringing the shield back up. "I hope those friends of yours are really close by Rae!" Cyborg continues as he sees more and more spots gaining on them, it doesn't help his cool that he can see the engines are overheating. The situation grows more desperate as they close the final distance to Mogo, as more and more fire power is being brought to bear on them. Beastboy is silently trying to remember a prayer that will save them, or at least making his insides solid again after a jumble of thoughts he finally finds one and take a deep breath and begins.

"Azerath, Mentrion, Zinthos…" Raven and Cyborg look over at him for a second, before they joins in. Oddly enough the next couple of blasts are further away from them while the closest pursuers appear to turn back.

"Hey ya poozers, looks like you need a hand?" A deep voice suddenly sounds over the intercom; Raven breaks off from the chanting and looks out the windows, spotting at least eight rapidly moving green specks. And one large pink one drifting up alongside their ship encased in a green aura. Kilowog gives them a friendly smile and a wave as the ship is also encased in a green light aura, both Cyborg and Beastboy stare at him as he floats next Raven's pod. "Hey Raven, fancy meeting you here."

"Fancy that." She replies with a smirk to the huge alien.

"I've cooled your engines so you can land on Mogo." He says while looking at Cyborg. "Try and land somewhere dry so the poozer in front doesn't catch a cold. Oh, and Raven Ganthet told me to deputize you in case thing got rough out here, and from the looks of it, you stirred up the entire system." Raven looks at him funny before noticing he is holding a green ring in his hand and a large green Lantern in the other. Unbuckling her seatbelt she moves to open the hatch as the scanners show their pursuers only headed back to emerge in force.

"Rae…WAIT! DON'T!" Cyborg shouts as Raven opens the pod and stands up and receives the ring, completely ignoring Cyborg concern that she is standing in empty space.

"Now to power it up you need, to put it on and stick it in here. You will know what to do." Kilowog instructs as he hands her the battery after she puts on the ring. Holding the lantern in her left hand she balls her right hand in a fist and puts it into the glowing center of the lantern.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight,

Let those who worship evils might,

Beware my power…Green Lantern's Light!"

The change is instantaneous as a green flash fades Raven's shape, then it dies down, Raven is again dressed in all black with a green cloak and hood with the burning symbol, but this time her Amazon bracelets turn green, mimicking part of John Steward's costume. Another change is since Raven is still in her demon form; the mask has doubled as well. She turns to her stunned friends.

"Be safe till I get back." She says before sealing her pod shut, making sure no one was going to get to Blackfire while she is not there. She casts one look at Nightwing who is sitting slumped over in his seat; fortunately she can see he is breathing normally. The two just stare after her as she heads back toward the oncoming fleet.

"All right poozers, the Guardians want that group of people brought in for questioning. " Kilowog says out loud as he and Raven reaches the thin line of Lanterns while pointing at the oncoming fleet. "Of course they are all armed and dangerous just to make it interesting."

While he is talking Raven gets a chance to study her new companions, besides Kilowog, the groups, strangely enough, consists of Katma Tui and Kyle Rayner, another human in an almost completely green uniform, except for the white gloves covering his forearms and hands. An alien Raven has a hard time not to think of as a man-sizes nose with long hairs as arms and legs, with a patch of red curly hair on top. There is one that looks like a cross between a human, a dinosaur and an eagle, with its orange scales, beak and the fin on the top of its round head. Another only has one large eye in its bulging cranium with grayish-brown skin; it has neither hair nor a nose. The next one looks to consist of blue crystal with grey tentacles as arms and legs, its only clothes is the green belt with the Lantern symbol on it. The last one is possibly the most out of place for, a small female with almost golden skin and short blond hair. Unlike the others who's general color selection consists of green and black, the girls uniform consists of a white corset, leaving her shoulders bare, and a green skirt, boots and gloves.

"And Raven here is going to join us for this little outing." Kilowog says as the throws a thumb at Raven who is floating behind him. "Ok? Move out poozers!"

They all form a line, with Raven ending up between Kyle and the other human on the right flank. "GO!" Kilowog shouts.

"YEE-HAAA!" Kyle shouts next to Raven as he forms a horse, a cowboy hat and two six-shooters and charges off. The other man just smirks as he makes three fighter-jets that follow after him as he flies after the cowboy.

"_The problem is choice."_ Raven muses, which is true. She could choose a flock of birds, a controllable puppet in her father's image, a platoon of Amazon archers or something completely different. A memory of a night in Gotham sparks her imagination into life, if any of those pilots were there that night, they should remember this. The ring on her finger sparks once as it translates her imagination into a solid shape, and in the depths of space, a light green copy of the USS Gotham materializes around Raven who sits down cross legged again on the bridge.

"Hey Hal! Looks like we are only missing John and the army now!" Kyle yells as he blasts away at the smaller ships, having noticed the battleship coming up behind them.

"I've seen that barge before somewhere." Hal Jordan replies as his fighters engage as well.

"USS Gotham at your disposal." Raven transmits through the rings, as she lets loose the first volley.

"You've been to Gotham?" Hal asks, none of the parties involved in John's test has mentioned to him that Raven is from Earth.

"I've shared Batman's cave." The conversation is broken up as the incoming fleet begins directing its fire onto the Lanterns and their constructs, Raven's in particular, comes under fire due to its size but most of the hits are ignored. The alien Lanterns are all sticking to minor constructs if not sticking to projecting beams, leaving the humans to show off and draw fire.

"So you were saying you've shared the Bat-bunk?" Hal asks with a smirk playing across his face. Ravens construct blurs a second, as she understands what he is implicating. While she can understand why women would want Bruce Wayne for various reasons, but he is at least twice her own age and that's not an appeal to her.

"No." Comes the icy reply, as she turns the ship to fire a few broadsides at the enemies.

"Careful Hal or you will end up like Sinestro did." Kyle warns as he changes out of his cowboy attire and forms a gun platform.

"I thought she just got the ring?" Hal asks while seeing one of his planes gets riddled by shots, causing it to destabilize and disappear.

"Believe me she, doesn't need one."

"Less talk, more focus poozers!" Kilowog calls while forming a body harness for himself with four cannons on it. "In coming!" He yells as the large ship that followed the Titans from Tamaran appears at the rear of the swarm of ships. Raven sees now why Cyborg was so worried; the thing makes her own ship looks like a toy in comparison. It is apparently designed for effectiveness and not style as she can't see a single clean line on it, but irregular shapes are abundant. If it wasn't so big, it could probably pose as space debris.

"Ring, scan capital ship, identify ship and commander." Hal calls before pointing his ring at the juggernaut.

"Scan complete, ship identified as 'The Fortress of Agony', current commander identified as Khosolax the Decimator, wanted for 7 confirmed acts of genocide." It replies.

"Ok you heard the ring, new objective people; get that ship or none of us go home!" Kilowog directs, but he and the other non-humans are soon under renewed attack from the fleet that has been marginally thinned by the Lanterns, but the Fortress immediately sets about launching another one from several docking ports.

"You heard the man, let's get up close and personal!" Hal calls for the two others to follow his lead as he drops his planes and begins flying towards the Fortress, shooting down anything that gets too close to him. Kyle and Raven drops their constructs as well before following in his slipstream.

"Hope you are ready to think big, because we will need it against that thing. Probably has a reflector shield so we can't risk shooting at it or we risk blowing something else up." Kyle instructs as they fly side by side.

"Leaving us to either use blunt attacks or sneak inside." Raven replies calmly. The trio is forced to duck and weave as they come within range of the Fortress's weapons. As they come closer, they all notice how the ship is sectioned into three parts connected by thinner sections between them. The lower parts of each of the bigger sections is taken up by the massive engines needed to provide propulsion, the mid sections all seem to house hangars where more craft are being launched as they watch. The top parts of the sections seem to have no immediate purpose other than housing a number of cannons that is busy raining shots down upon them. They group up on the first section, while standing on the outside of the ship.

"So what's the plan?" Raven asks, bowing to the seniority of the two full timer Lanterns.

"Good question. We can get inside and look for Khosolax, he will be the only one with the authority to stop the ship, but it can take forever with a ship this huge and there will be literally thousands of people in his employ that will get in the way." Hal says while taking scope of the ship.

"You don't have a plan?" Raven asks while raising an eyebrow at the man.

"I usually make them up as I go." Hal smirks back at her.

"I don't suppose you can find him?" Kyle asks her.

"Not when I don't know the mind I'm looking for. Can we break the ship up at the narrow parts?"

"Shields are bound to be the strongest around them; you should be able to see them with the ring." Hal says as he keeps looking for an apparent flaw to exploit.

"Ring, scan for shields and protective measurements, display any in the mask." She asks, and like Hal said, she can see the shields, that look like thin clouds trapped in a bottle with a wind. Also like Hal said, the shields are their thickest around the narrow sections, the engines and the front part they are standing on.

As they stand there, they are witness to their fellow Lanterns coming under increased fire as the Fortress has moved into range of them as well. One particularly large blast scatters the Lanterns from the closed ranks they had formed.

"Kyle, we need to think fast or Kilowog and the others are history!" Raven says, noticing some of the Lanterns are getting desperate as their shots seem to lose their hitting power.

"You're right but what can we do to this thing, it's too big!"

"She's right, think bigger rookie!" Hal says with determination in his voice. "Raven you hit this part from this side, Kyle you take the rear, I'll get the middle. When I call, you both hit it with everything you got." Hal says before flying away, Raven and Kyle both share a nod before they take up their spots some distance from the ship. "Lanterns in place?"

"Raven ready."

"Rayner ready."

"Think BIG!" At Hal's command, Raven forms gigantic image of her father, many times larger than the size he had when he visited Earth, the construct grins and cracks his knuckles. Kyle, seems to draw inspiration from her as he conjures a green minotaur of equal size that cracks its neck once before dropping into a ready stance and lowers its head. They can't see it from where they are, but Hal has made up a large green steam locomotive of the kind that was in use in the first half of the twentieth century. "Charge!" Hal's cry is immediately acted upon as both the demon and the Minotaur sets off in run, gaining momentum as they close with their targets, shrugging off the fire coming their way. Kyle's and Raven's constructs hit the ship a second before Hals makes impact on the other side. The ship isn't destroyed or torn apart, but it is severely damaged. Which is evident as the connecting sections between the larger one bend and crack under the influence of the opposing forces.

"_Allow me to salvage the remains." _Mogo's voice sounds as the large ring constructs vanish and the wounded ship is incased in a large green bubble before being towed slowly towards the sentient planet by a green beam coming from the center of the lantern symbol facing them. A little to Raven's surprise all of the smaller ships are also being drawn towards it, but she guesses Mogo's field of gravity is now pulling them in.

"Seems Mogo finally found a target he can see." Kyle says over the rings as the three descend upon the remains the fleet. "Let's wrap this up."

"H…how is she?" Beastboy asks his mechanical buddy who is slowly analyzing Starfire with his inbuilt scanners. They quickly confirmed Nightwing is just unconscious and have a few fragments in his face that would need removing. Currently he is resting on one of four stone beds near the jungle. Unknowingly Cyborg and Beastboy have landed the ship at the cliffs where Raven deposited the Lanterns.

Cyborg shakes his head as he looks up. "I'm afraid to move her Gar." He says quietly. He doesn't know what else to tell his friend, according to his scanners there are as many wounds inside of Starfire as well as there is on the outside. He has taken a guess that not everything Starfire has eaten was mean to be eaten, as he finds small cuts in the walls of her stomachs, of which she has nine, and intestines. Cyborg doesn't speculate, he knows that what has been done to his friend would kill a human several times over, but Starfire's own natural constitution has been used against her and kept her alive through torments no one should have to endure.

Beastboy feels useless in the situation, he knows basic first aid, but he can do nothing to help Starfire's injuries."Isn't there anything we can do?"

"If you can lift her gently, we can try and dress the most recent wounds." Cyborg says while pointing at one of the other beds, Beastboy nods and turns into a huge octopus. As he lifts her clear he changes into a gorilla and carries her over to the bed where Cyborg has rolled out several blankets for her to lie on. "She looks so pale." Gar notes, her once orange skin is definitely a lot paler than it used to be.

"Guess not seeing the sun for four years will do that. Come on, you can help me dress the recent ones." The depressing work continues in silence for a few moments before Beastboy asks one thing that has bugged him ever since they saw her.

"Why doesn't she wake up? I mean she is breathing normally, but she doesn't react at all."

"I'm not sure Gar, but some people, when they are hurt too much, they retreat into their own minds to escape whatever is hurting them. Right now I think she is in the only place Blackfire can't reach her." Cyborg says with sad eyes, it pains him deeply to see Starfire like this, as it does Beastboy.

"Do…do you think Raven can call her back?" He asks.

"I don't know if Raven has that kind of power, but I know she will try her hardest." Cyborg says.

"You know, I'm glad I am not working in Interrogation." Kyle says as he again notes the huge crowd of people they have ejected out of the various crafts into the huge spheres they are dragging after them. Fortunately Mogo reported that he would crash the Fortress into one of his deserts, effectively imprisoning the thousands of people in it.

"Come to think of it poozer, I need to make a call." Kilowog says from besides him.

"There is no need Lantern Kilowog, we are aware of the situation. Bring them to Mogo and we shall begin." Ganthet says as he and five of the other Guardians appear in flashes of green in front the Lanterns before turning and leading the way to the surface. As they fly, Raven notes he is falling behind to fly besides her, the others pretend not to notice. _"You have questions."_ He asks in her mind.

"_A few, like why you chose to deputize me for this? Why I suddenly had a flashback as we passed Okaara? But most pressingly I want to know if there is anything you can or will do to help my friend?"_ She sends back.

"_We Guardians are capable of many things, great and terrible things. But even we have limitations, and mending a living organism is dangerous for us. And we cannot replicate your rare gift, which lies within the field of sorcery."_ Ganthet replies without adding any emotion, which Raven notes could be a trick to veil a truth that he could do it, but wouldn't. _"Long ago, we Guardians were a unified race, but after billions of years, with mistakes being made and wars fought. We have been fractured, each segment evolving into our own species with different goals. Millions of years ago we made a bargain with a thief that had stolen from us. We followed him to Okaara where he received another treasure, much greater in power than what he had originally stolen, but less important. Search your memory; you will remember what he received."_

Raven closes her eyes for a second, digging up any memory she has of Okaara before realizing what it is. _"A battery fueled by avarice, an orange counterpart to your Green Lanterns."_

"_Correct. It is the only Corp that will ever be wielded by a single individual. Our deal was that he could keep the Greed Corp; if we were promised that he would stay inside Vega. In return we would leave him alone and get what was stolen back. He agreed, fortunately. Remember this Raven of Earth, we have hid the truth of his existence from the universe, in belief that any contact with him will make him want more, we have hid this even from our own, now you alone get to carry that secret as well."_

"_I understand, so the restriction you have placed on your own is not faux?" _She asks, slightly humbled by the confidence being shown her, but she knows there is good reason for her to stay silent.

"_No, we have since made other deals that put Vega outside of our jurisdiction. All of them quite real threats, but our main reason has always been Agent Orange, as we call the keeper. As you may know, Vega is a vast sector, home of many species, as long as he remained hidden; no one would look too closely at his home. The answer to your first question is simple, we have long worried that other corps would emerge and rival our own; Sinestro has taken the first step towards that by trying to recruit you. We no long speculate __**if**__ a war of emotions will one day erupt, it is_ _only a matter of time now. We hope that when it comes, that you will choose wisely if you are asked to participate."_ He says, looking at her as he says the last part.

"_You mean this has all been a product demonstration?" _She asks slightly offended that she has been kept from Starfire.

"_In a way, but I am not certain all Lanterns would have survived today if you had not joined."_

"_So why should I side with you?" _Raven asks.

"_It is a fair question I suppose. Think of it this way, we have so far calculated with the possibility of seven corps based on emotions; will, fear, avarice, rage, love, hope and compassion. One you know already as it has existed for thousands of years now, three you can guess are not beneficial to the universe at large. Love is a powerful emotion, it can and has caused a great many events, but the wielders of its light will see all other emotions eclipsed by it. Hope, is the ability to believe in one self and others, but hope cannot accomplish much alone, it needs other lights to aid it. It will be the light in the background that inspires the others. Compassion is in many ways like hope, alone it cannot do much and it can be misinterpreted. Compassion may be comforting a friend in need, or I may be ending their pain."_

"_You mean Compassion Lantern would kill Starfire, don't you?"_ Raven asks, knowing this is the part Ganthet says yes and that his Corp would will her to continue.

"_It would be merciful to do so, Compassion has no hope, therefore sees no chance for her recovery into the person you once knew. I realize this is not comfort, but we Guardians are creatures of will and we see you wanting her to recover, no matter what it may cost yourself."_

"_That I do, but do not take this the wrong way. But I will make the choice if I have to, but not before."_

"_Understandable, and we will respect that choice as we have always done, I will only add some of the others may not see this the same way."_

Raven has been so preoccupied by the talk, she has not noticed they have passed through the atmosphere and are heading towards the T-ship. As Raven spots them, she realizes they have been heading this way the whole time and it tells her the time is up.

"Kyle do you mind taking over my lot? It seems like my time is up." Kyle nods before merging his bubble with hers. After he pulls away, she pulls off the ring and changes back to her human appearance. "I was glad I could help Ganthet, but I my help is now needed somewhere else." She says as he hands him the ring.

"I know, that with you watching over her, she has a chance. You would be a good Lantern." He says to her before turning to the others. "We shall them elsewhere. Farewell for now Raven." He says before the assembly continues over the trees. Kyle, Katma and Kilowog waves at her before they vanish. Raven hangs in the air and stares after them for a moment before racing down to her friends.

"How are they?" Raven asks as she lands between the ship and Cyborg and Beastboy who are dressing Starfire's wounds.

"Rob's fine, just out cold and with a few pieces of shrapnel that will needs removing. Star is a different story; I don't know where to begin Rae." Cyborg says as he ties a knot on the bandage he was putting around Star's arm.

"Let me see." Raven says as he steps aside. Letting a slight blue glow appear around her hand she moves it over Starfire's body, she grimaces as she pulls back. "I can try and heal her recent wounds, but I don't think I can mend the old ones. The only good thing is that she is stable." She sighs.

"Rae we were wondering why she is not reacting to any of us?" Beastboy asks, not having moved from Star's side as he was sitting on the other side.

"Yeah, I fear she may have retreated into herself to escape the real world. And you are the resident expert on that field." Raven thinks for a moment at Cyborg's words before answering.

"You want me to go in and see if she will come out." The pair nods. "I will, but not here. It will be harsh hearing this, but it can be dangerous for me and you if I do it. We don't know what kind of mind Star was in when she pulled into herself…"

"You mean she could be crazy." Cyborg interrupts with a grim finality in his voice.

"Yes, but that is not all. Star maybe suffering inside her own mind as well and that can be dangerous, as it can give me a feedback that can upset my powers."

"So you risk hurting yourself and the surrounding area?" Beastboy asks, to which Raven nods.

"It is not the pain I will feel that is the trouble, but if I accidentally blow up the ship." She says. "But that is not all; I may have trouble navigating her mind as it is different than a human one."

"You mean you could get lost inside?" Beastboy continues.

"I will need something or someone to navigate after when I need to find my way back." The two sigh, knowing they weren't going to get any indication if Star is coming back to them before they get back to Earth.

"I know the place where we can get the answer to at least one of those questions." Cyborg says while staring at Raven's pod, the two others understand. Raven flies over and opens her pod, getting greeted by the smell of rotting eggs. Raven pulls the now conscious Blackfire out of the ship before throwing her onto the ground and jumping after her.

"You lied! We had a deal!" Blackfire complains her broken nose in no way impeding her voice.

"You planned on blowing us to bits on our way out." Raven replies while keeping her voice flat and emotionless as she grabs Blackfires long hair.

"Hey! OW! Let go!" Blackfire squirms as Raven drags her by the hair over to Starfire and the two others.

"Take a good look at your sister." Cyborg says while folding his arms as Raven forces Blackfire to watch.

"When did she retreat into herself?" Ravens only receive the cuffs slamming into her head as Blackfire swings them like club. Raven lets go in surprise and stumbles back and Blackfire slumps onto the ground before being seized by a green gorilla.

"I won't tell you anything!" Blackfire says as she squirms in the grip of the great ape as he hoists her up by the arms.

"You ok?" Cyborg asks Raven who seems a little red where she was hit.

"Just surprised me that all." She says as she moves closer to Blackfire again. "Put her down." Beastboy does as asked; only he shoves Blackfire face first onto the ground. Raven grabs hold of Blackfire's hair again and drags her across the clearing, with more complaints, before halting at the cliffs. "Remember, those cuffs pretty much nullify all of your powers, including flight." Raven says before yanking hard on Blackfire's hair, leaving her to dangle over the cliffs. "There's almost 700 meters to the bottom where there is a river along with many sharp rocks. If you don't start talking, you are going to see it up close."

The two others remain silent while watching; impressed by the display of strength Raven is showing by holding the squirming Blackfire in an outstretched arm over the cliff. Neither of them notices Nightwing coming too as well, he also sees it, but remains silent as he saw the others do the same.

"Better start talking before I tire." Raven warns, emphasizing by letting her arm drop a bit, making Blackfire yelp.

"You will catch me; you don't have to even touch me!" She replies in a voice filled with doubt, to the others it sounds more like she is trying to convince herself than anyone else.

"But who says I will?" Raven says as she lets Blackfire fall with a scream, to the surprise of the others,

"Raven…!" Nightwing lets the others know he is conscious as he sits up in shock as Blackfires scream slowly becomes more distant.

"It will take her over a minute to reach the bottom, don't worry I've been here before." Raven replies calmly before she disappears. The others stare anxiously at the spot she occupied for half a minute before she reappears again, letting a visibly shaken Blackfire fall to the ground. "Now talk or you will reach the bottom the next time."

"We…we found her like that one morning two years ago, she never spoke or re…reacted to anything since." Blackfire stammers while trying to crawl away from Raven.

"Yet you kept torturing her for two years after that?!" Nightwing asks, visibly shaken at the information.

"Y…yes…" Blackfire stammers, seemingly finally understanding she is one a strange planet, alone with a group that could do anything to her and no one else would know.

"You are a monster Blackfire, more than any that I have ever met." Nightwing seethes, echoing the thoughts of the others. "Raven, get rid of her!" He commands, Blackfires eyes go wide as Raven grabs hold of her.

"No! NOOO…!" Is the last thing the Titans hear of Blackfire before she and Raven disappears.

Raven appears again with Blackfire at the edge of a large clearing where hundreds of people are being divided into several glowing green holding areas. Immediately they are met by Ganthet and Hal Jordan.

"As promised Ganthet; the Warmonger of Tamaran." Raven says as she pushes Blackfire away from her towards Hal, causing her to fall on her face again.

"Ring scan subject." Hal says as he points his ring at the woman in front of him as she tries to get up.

"Scanning…Scan complete. Subject: Blackfire, current ruler of Tamaran, Vega-sector. Wanted by the Guardians for; 36 acts of illegal incursions into Guardian space, 23 acts of piracy within Guardian space, 1 account of ordering full scale genocide against the inhabitants of Brechar-4. Also wanted for potential involvement in the murders of 7 members of the Green Lantern Corp."

"A dreadful creature indeed, as you said." Ganthet says flatly as he looks at the woman on the ground.

"Just…just get me away from her!" Blackfire pleads as she crawls closer to Hal and Ganthet.

"I believe you have demonstrated why Sinestro desired you have you join him." Ganthet notes Hal just stares as Raven nods, he is unused to have people beg him to arrest them. "The bargain is upheld. You have helped us tremendously today Raven of Earth, yet ask nothing in return." He continues.

"I only hope you keep Blackfire locked up. Other than that, I only wish you could help my friend." Raven says calmly.

"The first part we will ensure. To the other, I said we Guardians do not possess the power to mend wounds, but take me to your friend and I will decide if we can offer her the treatment of the Corp surgeons. Officer Jordan, you will take the prisoner to the correct cell while I am away." Ganthet instructs before floating towards Raven.

"Blackfire, pray I never find you again." Raven warns before she teleports out with Ganthet.

"For some reason, I would heed that warning missy." Hal says as he hauls Blackfire to her feet, having gotten the full story of how Raven took down four armed Lanterns and severely mauled Sinestro from Kyle.

"Umm Rae, who's that?" Beastboy asks while very impolitely pointing a finger at Ganthet as the pair appears.

"This is Ganthet, one of the Guardians of the Green Lantern Corp. He has made us an offer but he has to see Starfire first." Raven introduces the little blue man next to her, the others move aside, Nightwing reluctantly as he has had time to see Starfire. Ganthet takes a long look at Starfire, while not letting anything show on his features.

"Umm Rae, what kind of offer and why does he look like smurf?" Beastboy asks having moved closer to Raven.

"He is offering us the Corps medical facilities, and he understands English and can hear you!" Raven hisses the last part; Beastboy pales a little, knowing he might offend Ganthet.

"The treatment of you friend has been barbaric and to think it has been done by her sister. But her body is within our surgeons powers to mend." Ganthet says as he looks up from Starfire. "Mogo will you please transport us to Sector 0."

"_Of course Guardian."_ Mogo replies for all to hear, Cyborg, Beastboy and Nightwing look around confused to see who is talking.

"Mogo is the planet you are standing on." Raven says, slightly amused at her comrades confusion, overhead the sky seems to change, somehow appearing more solid than before.

"_Some find it disturbing to travel faster than the speed of light while on my surface."_ Mogo explains.

"Dude you mean the planet is alive?" Beastboy asks in disbelief, while looking under his shoes.

"It is, this was where John left me for his test. I didn't know it until we were about to go home, seems it couldn't get through my mental defenses." Raven explains, reminding her fellows of the information John told them on the satellite.

"Ganthet, can I ask why you are taking such interest in all of this? I have read and heard from one of the Green Lanterns from Earth that you rarely take direct action or personal interest in singular individuals?" Nightwing asks.

"Incorrect Nightwing of Earth, we often take interest in singular individuals but we observe them unseen from afar. But as John Steward said, they rarely notice it, Raven did however. We Guardians see a potential in Raven, one that might see her recruited one day, like we do yourself and your mentor." Nightwing stares at him. "But we have other reasons for taking interest in Raven, her heritage is one of them."

"So that's why the big pink guy deputized her." Cyborg surmises, Nightwing blinks a few times at the information.

"Yes, her help was needed today. But we Guardians also thought it would be good for some of the more senior Lanterns to see that even the untrained can handle a ring, maybe it will inspire some of them when they go back to educate the trainees. Green Lantern Kilowog in particular has been complaining about the quality of the most recent recruits." Ganthet explains.

"_My apologies for the interruption Guardian, but we have arrived."_ Mogo says as the sky seems to turn back to normal.

"Good, the others are nearly done as well. I shall send one of our officers to retrieve you all and your ship." Ganthet says before disappearing.

"Didn't he seem a little short to lead anyone?" Beastboy asks, getting a sigh from Raven and Nightwing.

"If he wanted to he could crack a planet in half with his mind alone, besides he has billions of years of experience." Raven says, before looking at Richard, noticing his face is still full of shrapnel, thankfully his mask is sturdy enough to keep his eyes safe. "Need any help with that?" She asks while pointing at his face.

"What?" He asks confused before putting a hand to his face, feeling the small bits lodged there. "Umm, sure." Raven walks over to him.

"All at once or one at a time?" Richard remembers a summer with his parents where he had ended up inside a thorny bush, the removal of the thorns where remembered as the most painfully thing he had experience back then, more so than any slips he had made in the circus.

"All." Raven nods at him, putting one hand on his shoulder and letting the other hover in front of his face, her eyes glow black for a second as she pulls her hand back and yanks all the fragments out at once. "OW! Mrmph!" Raven's other hand covers his face as the blue glow surrounding it seals all the holes left.

"There, big baby." Raven says as she removes her hand. "Ehh…nice." She continues as she wipes it clean of his mouth water on his chest.

"Thanks, I feel really appreciated now." Nightwing grumbles cheerfully as he sees Gar and Victor fight a losing battle against their mirth.

"You looked surprised when I dropped her?" Raven says, having noted Nightwing had dropped his jaw.

"Let' just say it was not the kind of thing I thought you'd do, that little stunt was something Batman could have done." He replies.

"You would have done something similar I assume." She shrugs.

"I would have left her dangling over the cliff till she cracked. Hmm seems our ride is coming." He notes the green spec floating over the trees towards them.

"Hey there, ready for the Rayner Express to Oa?" Kyle greets as he touches down. "Good fight by the way Raven. Hey don't know you people from somewhere?" He asks eyeing Cyborg and Beastboy.

"We're the Teen Titans out of Jump City." Cyborg replies while wondering who the man is.

"Wow, it's an honor to meet you, read all I could about you when I was working in Metropolis." Kyle says while smiling.

"He's an artist, worked for a newspaper." Raven adds.

"Yup, anyways if you want to we can talk more after we get your friend some help." He says as he forms a large bubble, lifting them all and the ship off the ground, Beastboy and Cyborg hurry over into the ship. Raven uses her powers to wrap the blankets and her cloak around Starfire before moving her to the ship as well, she and Nightwing also climb aboard lessening the area of the bubble Kyle needs to hold up.


	3. Back to Earth

"Ok people clear out!" The appointed surgeon shouts as he rushes into the diagnostic chamber where the Titans have been told to wait. They all back away from Starfire, as the strange insect-like Lantern moves over to her. Beastboy is reminded of a horror movie he and Cyborg once watched, something about mutated killer locusts from outer space. The doctor doesn't look like a locust however; as he has two human like legs, a normal torso but six arms with three fingers at the end of each. His head is somewhat reminiscent of a flatfish, as it is long and flat, with his mouth based on the underside. Nightwing wonders how evolution made such a creature. "Ring, scan for injuries. I need to know her medical record, allergies and such." He says as he looks up at the Titans while slowly letting his ring work.

"I got it all here, if you can download it. But its four years old." Cyborg says as he lets a wire extend from his right index finger. The doctor nods as his ring continues to scan, he also forms a screen with a matching socket for Cyborg's cable. The data is loaded up on the screen, which the Lantern reads rapidly while using one of his hands to stroke his chin.

"Good, she only allergic to chromium, we can compensate for that." He says while his ring scans the last part of Starfire; her feet. "Her injuries are innumerable, many of them old and poorly healed, and others are recent but are also healing poorly probably due to malnourishment. The good news is that even in her current state, she is not dying, but she is going to require a lot of work and it is not all the damage that can be undone, but I will do my best." He explains to the Titans, who nod at him, Cyborg and Raven having come to similar conclusions from their own scans. "I will begin at once. You are a doctor yourself?" He asks while looking at Cyborg.

"No, but I was in charge of our infirmary." Cyborg replies, not wanting to juggle Starfire life in his hands.

"Good enough, you can help me since you know her body better than I do." The doctor dismisses, Cyborg nods, hoping he won't ask him to do anything complicated. "Follow me." The doctor flies out of the door, carrying Starfire after him on a green stretcher he made, Cyborg nods at the others before he runs after him.

Ten minutes later the three remaining Titans are looking down into the theater, where Starfire is lying motionless on a table while Cyborg and the doctor are preparing to begin, having already administered a sedative to her in case she should suddenly wake up. Beastboy looks green already, it is one of the reasons he doesn't eat meat, he can't stand the sight of real blood. He's seen countless movies where blood flows like water, but he still can't take the sight and smell of the real thing.

"You don't have to watch, it's ok." Nightwing says without turning from the windows separating them from the scene below them. Garfield sighs before turning, glad he wasn't being berated for it, but still feeling something like shame. "He said this will take a while, but there should still be one of us up here. I'll stay the first hour." Raven sighs, she wants to be here for Starfire as well but she knows why he is asking.

"I'll go check on your pod in the meantime, let us know if anything happens." She says before teleporting away.

"So what do I do?" Beastboy asks, feeling less than useful.

"I don't know Gar, you can stay here and keep me company or you can have a look around, we haven't been told we couldn't go anywhere. But if you do, don't follow any of the Guardians around if you see one." Beastboy nods at the suggestion but stays put, down in the theater the pair are about to begin.

The wait is taxing for the three; the hours come and go along with the shifts, Beastboy eventually gets bored enough to go explore after three, under the guise of hoping to find a cantina somewhere. After four hours Cyborg called him in, they needed him to change into a tapeworm to avoid having to open Stars stomachs, reluctantly he agreed. Two hours later he was done, having to find something even smaller too change into to get the smallest bits of the inedible objects they found in them. At the 7th hour, after Cyborg and the doctor, who's name they learn to be Salaak, had allowed themselves an hour's rest, they called Raven in to help. Cyborg had let slip of her ability to heal, which Salaak had dismissed at first but since been convinced to let her prove it. Next to Beastboy's intestine adventures, Raven gets pulled in for the worst part, the resetting of Starfire's numerous badly healed bones. Salaak explained that such wounds were common amongst his own kin, as their bones heal at a tremendous rate. Unfortunately to get Starfire's bones to mend properly, they had to break them again at exactly the right places, all the Titan's visibly cringe with each break. Raven's part in this was to close any ruptures the breaks might create and to superficially heal the bones when held in the correct position; Salaak had her do this after she closed several of the stitched wounds. Into the 10th hour they are done with the bones and Salaak moves to the last part of Starfire he has yet to properly work on, the damages done to Starfire's head.

"I know you both carry emotional baggage with her, so this may be disturbing." He warns, Cyborg nods grimly, Raven does as well, feeling a little lightheaded from expending so much power. "We have a few problems here, see this wound?" He says while pointing at a round burn wound on Starfire's neck. "That is left by a needle laser or a kind of surgical laser that has been used to sever and cauterize your friend's vocal cords, the problem is that I can't get in there because her four arteries are in the way. The other issue is her eyes." He says while gently lifting the lids, getting a gasp out of Raven while Cyborg turns a few shades greener. "As you can see; parts of them are still there. But due to the damages, I suspect someone has taken the laser to her eyes." The pair with him are suddenly glad neither Nightwing or Beastboy can't see it. As Salaak says, the eyeballs are still here, but with a hole bored into each of them. "I am sorry, but both of these are beyond my skills, I am afraid I have done all I can for her." Salaak says in an apologizing tone.

"Rae, can you…?" Cyborg asks the empath next to him.

"I…I will need rest before I try." She says while swaying a little. "Thank you doctor."

"Just doing my job, I will wish your friend a speedy recovery."

An hour later they are gently loading Starfire into the T-ship, being very careful with her as Salaak said her bones would be brittle until properly healed.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Cyborg asks, never having seen Raven heal such wounds like the ones left.

"I will try my best, but I am not sure if I can manage wounds that old." Raven says somberly, not knowing if she could help at all; the eyes seemed to have been damaged a long time ago.

"We know you will Rae." Nightwing adds, noticing the uncertainty creeping into Ravens voice.

"I trust Green Lantern Salaak's work was satisfactory?" Ganthet suddenly says from behind the Titans.

"It was thank you for letting us borrow him." Raven replies after turning to him. "How are all of the new inmates?" She asks, having heard from some of the Lanterns involved in the action, that several dozen highly wanted men and woman had been caught in the massive fleet besides the Decimator.

"Seems we are still in debt to you. During the action, we apprehended 12 offenders we tie to what we term as major offences, such as genocide, illegal warmongering, large scale slave and drug trading and murders of Green Lanterns. The majority of the rest are charged with participating in many of the offences the major offenders have committed. And lastly we have a few hundred that either joined recently or are only guilty of minor offences." Ganthet replies without batting an eye.

"What will happen to them?" Nightwing asks.

"We will detain them until asked to release them into the custody of others, but we keep those who are guilty of murdering a Green Lantern."

"So Blackfire will remain here?" Beastboy asks.

"She will. We long feared that the change in the leadership of Tamaran was for the worse, three Earth years ago it was confirmed as the Lantern of one of the neighboring sectors was caught in the path of a armada hailing from Tamaran and subsequently killed before assistance could be provided. It appears Blackfire used the murder as propaganda and lured yet more allies to her side."

"Somehow it doesn't seem fair." Beastboy mutters under his breath.

"It may not appear that way, but remember what separate us from the likes of her is our will to do what is right." Ganthet replies.

"Well, we are ready to go." Cyborg says after a minute of awkward silence.

"Do you guys mind waiting for a moment, I'd like to say goodbye to Kilowog and the others." Raven asks.

"Sure Rae." Cyborg smirks back.

"They are at the practice range." Ganthet says. "I wish you a peaceful journey home." He receives a nod from the Titans before he disappears; Raven follows suit a second after reappearing a second later at the firing range to an amusing sight.

"ALL RIGHT ROOKIES! Now I wanna see those targets in pieces." Kilowog bellows at the group of 10 trainees in front of him, Kyle and Katma are standing behind him. Raven guesses Kyle is far longer into his training than the group in front of him. The trainees all aim their rings at the markers some 100m away, humanoid dummies someone has found funny taping a pictures of Sinestro, Kilowog and some others on them. The display by the trainees makes Kilowogs shoulders and trumpet like ears slump in disappointment, either the blasts fly off in the wrong direction, fizzle out halfway or just fails to form at all.

"You're all thinking too much." Kyle notes, Raven speculates that this would actually be an obstacle for Richard.

"Just imagine whatever you want the ring to do, it will do the rest." She says behind them all, getting Kyle to jump in surprise.

"She's right you know." Katma say's with a smirk

"She is, you heard her, get to it." Kilowog instructs, mentally preparing himself for another abysmal display.

"How's your friend?" Katma asks Raven ask she joins them.

"We have mended most of her body, but we don't know if it is wasted effort." Raven says shortly, while watching the trainees fire again, most of them improving, but none actually accomplishing the goal.

"All right, ya improving. Again." Kilowog commands.

"So I guess you guys are heading back to Earth?" Kyle asks.

"Yes, Salaak can't do any more for us. I will try doing the rest when we get back." The trainees fire again, achieving the same limited result as before, the spectators see some of the blasts change midflight before dissolving.

"Right, I think I know what most of your problems are, ya still over thinking it all!" Kilowog grumbles, Raven can see some of the trainees looking disheartened. "Hey Raven how did you make it look so easy?" Kilowog asks over his shoulder.

"Keep a clear head; you are not supposed to impress anyone, not now, not when you are all out there. Focus on a single thought and stick with it." She replies, wondering how much of a natural talent she had.

"Umm, Senior Lantern, Sir. She does not have a ring?" One of the trainees notes.

"She was deputized twelve hour ago to assist us in hauling in the Fortress and that bunch." Kilowog replies. "Actually, here." He says while tossing Raven the ring he gave her before. "Ganthet said you might pop up." Raven deftly catches it and puts it on. "Take a shot at the one to the far right." Raven nods before moving to stand beside the trainees.

"It is true what they say about the rings, the problem is choice. You just need to stick with one idea till you have done what you want to do." She says shooting a beam that seems to be absorbed by the dummy, only for it to crumble to dust a second later.

"So you are saying we need to focus more?" One of them asks.

"Yes, try." She replies to the speaker, who thinks for a second before trying, sending a clear beam into his target, blowing a hole in it.

"See how easy that was, now the rest of you, stick with one thought!" Kilowog instructs, the firing continues with more impressive results this time. Raven pulls the ring off and hands it back.

"Are they all like this?" Raven whispers to Katma.

"John was worse and his military training form Earth keeps him from making more than basic shapes. But you are a natural you know?" She replies.

"I guess. Anyways there's a ship waiting for me, take care."

"We will good luck with your friend." Katma says.

"Feel free to come visit." Kilowog waves with his back turned, his eyes fixed on the trainees.

Raven and Kyle nods at each other before Raven teleports back to the ship.

"So Raven the Green Lantern?" Nightwing asks during the flight, having nothing to do but enjoy the ride since the blast had smashed his circuit board, but there were no holes thankfully.

"Ganthet made a test version of their rings out of Sinestro's when I claimed I didn't exactly fit the description." Raven shrugs, she had given up on sleeping the trip away, unlike Cyborg and Beastboy who are dosing off while the ship is at light speed.

"So, why you?" He asks.

"The Guardians believe I have the power to overcome great fear, and oddly enough have the willpower to use it." Nightwing smirks at this, it was typical Raven to downplay something like this. "So what about you? You seem to have caught their eyes as well."

"Well, it would be an interesting choice of profession, but I'm certain Batman would decline." Raven nods at this, Batman belonged in Gotham's shadows not the vastness of space. "Would you go?"

"I don't know really; think I would feel out of place if I accepted. You?"

"Same, Batman would disapprove of me accepting. Or berate me for not using its full potential." He adds the last part after remembering a discussion he had with Bruce over the subject, he remembers Bruce saying; _"If you are not going to use that ring to its full potential, then why should you have it?"_

"Well the Lanterns have their reasons for not doing more."

"The power corrupts thing is primary I guess?" Nightwing speculates.

"Sinestro is a prime example of that." Raven sighs.

"Yeah." He finishes, the two remain silent for a few moments before Nightwing asks. "Did you do anything to Blackfire?"

"I only ensured she won't have any peaceful nights of sleep for a long while." Nightwing smirks.

"Good." He says.

"Aren't you supposed to berate me for doing it, saying this is not what we do as heroes and so forth?" She asks while raising an eyebrow at his back.

"I should, but I won't. I didn't see you do anything to her other than what I see every other week with Batman, as far as I'm concerned it's the drop that will make her wake up at night." He replies.

"We are treating dangerous ground you know?" She asks.

"I do and hopefully we will never have this sort of conversation again."

"Agreed, but in our line of work, we can't guarantee it." He nods at this with a sigh, hoping he will never have to find a friend in this condition again. He thinks about how close he is to the edge he vowed to never cross, but his thoughts turns him to what he will do if he finds another friend like this. What will he do if it is Cyborg, Beastboy or Raven he one day finds mutilated and violated in the most horrid manner? Will he be able to handle it or will he finally cross the line? Right now there is a little voice in his head that suggest that what they are doing as a profession is not worth it personally and that Richard is a fool for thinking everything in the hero business has a happy ending. Another voice chips in saying that all of them will die in some fight down the road, it might be a mighty conflict or an insignificant scuffle that does them in, but die they will eventually. This is where the Batman part of his mind steps in and tells him that it is true, but that he is doing the right thing till that day happens and that although unlikely, they may all live to see old age. Sighing he pushes all of the disheartening thoughts from his mind, wondering if Raven ever thinks the same?

"All the time." Ravens quiet voice sounds behind him.

_The Watchtower:_

"So who do we begin with?" Flash asks as he eyes his pile of pictures, the other founders have the same photo's stacked in small neat piles in front of them. Each picture comes with a short summary of the person on them, abilities and weaknesses.

"I gotta say, they managed to make quite an organization." Superman admits at the stack.

"Let's start at the beginning." Batman says somewhat annoyed that no one noticed it was the same person on the top of each pile. "Argent, honorary Titan. She revealed that her powers are due to alien-human breeding, unknown to both her mother and Argent herself before the aliens returned. Since then she has been protecting England, mostly, as she grew up there. Powers; she is capable of forming objects out of energy, for how long and how much is unknown. Weaknesses; having regular human durability, Nightwing noted that she relied too heavily on her powers. A side note is that it is unknown of what became of the aliens."

"So instead of a Zatanna copy with a dubious past, we have a GL copy with a dubious past?" Flash asks, getting a grumble out of the Lantern.

"When boiled down, that seems to be the case." J'onn replies.

"She is a possibility." Wonder Woman speculates. "If her constructs are as solid as John's he could prove useful."

"I think we need to test her." Hawkgirl adds. "I'm not saying she should be the same caliber as John, but if hers are like wet paper, they aren't going to be much use."

"Agreed, I would also like to know more about the aliens." Batman agrees.

"So it's settled then, Argent is approached and tested?" Superman finishes, getting nods from the rest. "Next one?"

"Beastboy." Batman says. "Founding Titan, received his animal shape shifting powers when he contracted a rare decease as a young boy, in an effort to save him his parents used a highly experimental serum on him. Basically he can change into any animal he can remember, including otherworldly animals. His weaknesses are mainly the fact that he is always green, no matter the shape and that he hides a deep physiological pain beneath a carefree attitude."

"Sounds like someone we know." Shayera says while looking at Flash who manages to look somewhat surprised at the mention.

_The T-Ship:_

"Home already?" Cyborg yawns as they come out of light speed at the edge of the solar system.

"Dude I think the skin on my butt has hardened." Beastboy complains.

"Who would have thought with all those couch exercises you used to do." Raven adds with a smirk, the hours of relative peace had made her feel well rested.

"So two hours till we dock?" Nightwing asks, also beginning to feel restless.

"More or less." Cyborg says as he unplugs himself and grabs the controls. "So I guess we take Star to the satellite?"

"Yeah, they have more expertise in alien physiology that anyone else." Nightwing replies.

"So Rae, do you have any idea how long it will take to do your magic?" Beastboy asks.

"As long as it does, I haven't tried rebuilding anything that complicated before." She replies.

"Can you feel anything from Star?" He continues, meaning emotions.

"Those emotions I can are very weak, but if she is living in her own world or is in a coma I can't tell."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but Batman, you wanted to know when the Titans arrived." Mr. Terrific says over the speakers in the meeting room where the founders are still busy sorting through the Titan rooster. There had been discussions about Jinx's background, various levels of immaturity and some parts of questionable usefulness.

"If you will excuse me." Batman says as he rises and heads for the door.

"I think it's a good time we have a break anyway." Superman adds and heads out as well. The others follow one after another, and one by one they all make their way to the infirmary where the Titans are. J'onn is the only one to enter the room.

"We heard you came back." He says before taking a look at Starfire. "Will she make it?"

"She will." Nightwing assures. "We had a little encounter with the Guardians who let us borrow one of their surgeons." He explains, outside the room John walks away to make a call to Oa.

"She's not the way you received her?" He asks, internally he and the other founders wonder how one could look worse than Starfire does now. The male Titans shake their heads, Raven is too busy clearing her mind in preparation to notice the conversation, but she will need the quiet.

"If you don't mind, I need to focus." She says, Nightwing nods and leads the others outside where they are met by the other Founders.

"Made it back in one piece." Batman notes dryly.

"Mostly, had a few close calls, but yes." Nightwing replies

"What is Raven doing?" Hawkgirl asks as Raven floats cross legged next to Starfire. Cyborg can see Nightwing is not going to reply, so he will.

"The doctor we borrowed said that at some point, someone took a kind of surgical laser to Star's eyes and vocal cords. The eyes have been hollowed out and the vocal cord severed." He explains. "Raven isn't sure she can, but she will try and heal both." At Cyborg's explanation, Flash looks green, Shayera and Superman looks worried the rest harden their features.

"Why is she not awake?" Hawkgirl asks again.

"We don't know really, she went into that state two years ago according to Blackfire. But that didn't stop that monster of a sister to continue torturing her." Cyborg grumbles while looking at the floor.

"That's sick." Flash says out loud what the others are thinking.

"What did you do with her?" Batman asks, meaning Blackfire.

"I can tell you that." Green Lantern says as he comes back. "Raven made a request to one of the Guardians while we were on Mogo, but wouldn't tell us about it, primarily because it concerned the Vega system. The request was to have a few Lanterns waiting on the right side of the system, in case the Titans would need assistance leaving. The Guardians agreed to the request for their own reasons. When the Titans came out Vega, they were followed by a large fleet. The fleet was met and detained by the Lanterns, turned out many of them were wanted for capital offences." While John explains, Raven has placed her glowing hand over Starfire's closed eyes.

"Why were they followed?" Batman continues, while aware that his question had not been answered.

"We took Blackfire with us." Cyborg says over his shoulder.

"Good thing too, she has been charged with several capital offences." John continues.

"Is that all?" Batman asks.

"Well Raven did throw her off a cliff when she refused to answer a question." Nightwing says without turning. "Don't worry; she caught her, no damage done."

"Think she has been around you too long." Superman says to Batman with a smirk.

"When and if Raven finds out if she can do anything about her voice and eyes, she will try and see if she can wake Starfire up." Cyborg says, internally getting tired of the discussion group behind him, who fortunately get the idea and leaves after a few minutes later.

Much to Ravens frustration, even after hours of trying and vast amounts of power being spent on trying to heal Starfire's eyes, all her efforts have come to nothing. She started off with the amount she normally used to heal simpler wounds, when that didn't work she tried pouring more and more into it. After four hours of constant trying her frustrations finally surface as the lights in the room being to flash and the three screens separating Raven and Starfire from the spectators all crack Nightwing hurries into the room.

"Rae, it's been hours, you are exhausted and you need a break." Nightwing says as he approaches Raven, who looks up with bloodshot eyes, a light bulb pops overhead. "Star wouldn't want you to hurt yourself over her." He continues without letting the stare or the bulb bother him. Raven sighs deeply before looking down at Starfire again.

"We didn't worry about her for four years, now look at her." Nightwing moves a little closer while she speaks; noticing the cloak Raven has retrieved from Starfire is showing visible grey specs on it. Starfire however looks a little better, but he can see it wasn't better where it was needed the most.

"You have done all you can for her Rae." He says.

"I've failed her…" She mutters just loud enough for him to hear.

"No you haven't, you have done all you can for her, for now. Come on, you need to rest as well." He says while offering her his hand, she sighs again before taking it and gets up. "Besides you need to have the strength to search her mind as well." He adds when she only reluctantly follows him, with him still holding onto her.

They make it to the door before Raven stops as if she had hit a wall. "Wait, something is different!" She says before she turns to face Starfire again. They both stare at Starfire for a moment.

"Are you sure?" He asks, not knowing what Raven had detected.

"Shhh…yes, there it is!" Raven say with a hint of joy in her voice, suddenly she rushes back to Starfire's side. It is when Raven's black leotard becomes the backdrop of Starfire's feet that Nightwing sees it; the toes are twitching, at this he rushes over as well. They don't know what to do when the twitching seems to spread to the fingers up the arms and finally to her face. "She is waking up!" Raven exclaims, not caring that the window next to her just falls out of its frame and shatters on the floor, Nightwing just stares dumbfounded as Starfire's eyelids begin to twitch as well. "Call the others!" Raven commands, Nightwing quickly picks out his communicator. As he dials the number for Cyborg, Starfire opens her eyes and emits a croak from her still ruined throat, in surprise of her own blindness. Her own croak startles her as well it seems as she begins flailing her arms around, apparently trying to find out where she is. "Starfire it's…." Raven doesn't get to say anymore before Starfire accidentally slaps her with the back of her left hand. Starfire immediately recoils from the sound and sudden contact and tries to move away from the left side of the bed, almost falling out of it had it not been for Nightwing's quick sacrifice of his communicator in favor of catching her before she hits the ground. Gently he guides her back into the bed where she curls up in a ball and croaks.

"You ok?" Nightwing asks Raven, who nods while looking more surprised than hurt. "Starfire it is us, your friends." He says in a gentle tone, surprisingly Starfire croaks even faster now and curls up even more.

"She's scared of us; Blackfire could have impersonated us at some point." Raven speculates out loud.

"She is hyperventilating." Richard adds, noting that Starfire croaked before Raven spoke.

"Let me try something." She says as she gently takes hold of Starfire's left hand, Starfire tries to pull her hand to herself but Raven gently stokes it like a cat which seems to calm her. Getting Starfire to form a palm, Raven bends over slightly and places Starfire's hand on her face. Starfire seems to get the idea and lets her hand slowly wander across Ravens face, eventually bringing her right hand up as well. The hands wander faster and faster, coming into contact with the cloak and hair, as if searching for conformation Starfire's right hand moves to Raven's forehead, finding the stone embedded there. Starfire freezes for a second, apparently looking into space, before grabbing Raven in a tight hug and begins crying, which sounds like a terrible cross between croaking and wheezing. Raven returns the hug with a gentle one of her own, as her emotions finally overrun her control and quietly she begins crying as well, with only a few things left in the room to break. Nightwing quickly calls the others before his communicator becomes one of the few casualties. Cyborg and Beastboy arrive a minute later to the scene of the two crying women and the mostly wrecked room.

After several minutes of weeping, Raven gets control over herself and untangles Starfire's right arm. "Let her touch your faces." She says quietly as she holds out the hand, Nightwing takes it gently as he bends down to let Starfire touch his face, slowly she searches it one handedly, refusing to let go of Raven with her left. Reaching the masks, she pulls back and shakes her head.

"What's wrong?" Nightwing asks.

"She doesn't recognize you." Raven says quietly, to her eyes, he really had changed a lot since they lived together, it doesn't help the anguish she can feel wash over him as the realization hits him. He hides it well from everyone else, but she can feel he is very upset. Starfire extends her hand again, this time it is Beastboy who steps forwards as Nightwing moves back.

Again she lets the hand wander, reaching the pointed ears and the fang protruding from his lower jaw, this time she recognizes the owner and immediately moves her hand to his hair to confirm he was not bald. When this is confirmed, she grabs him in headlock that leaves him blue in the head before she feels Cyborg stroking her hand at that point she drops Beastboy who gasps loudly for air.

It doesn't take long for her to recognize Cyborg, judging from the squeezes she gives first his hand before she moves to his head and trails the line that separates the man from the machine.

"Can she hear us?" Beastboy asks as he gets to his feet again.

"I am not sure." Raven says as Starfire continues to pat Cyborg's bald head gently."Gar if you mind." She asks for him to take her place, which he does after taking deep breath. "I need to go check on Nightwing." She says after getting up, being the only one who noticed Nightwing's sudden dissapearance. The others nod, before she teleports out, knowing where Nightwing has gone; the observatory.

She finds him staring absent mindedly through the window into the depths of space. "She didn't recognize me." He says as she appears besides him.

"She will. But you have changed a lot, physically, since we parted." Raven replies while joining him for the view.

"Raven, would you leave me alone." He replies, ignoring what Raven said.

"No." She replies flatly.

"Please." He continues while dropping his gaze and leans onto the railing in front of them.

"I can feel it Richard, don't bury this or it will tear you apart. Please…I am here; you don't have to pretend anything. Don't be like me and bury the hurt beneath a façade when you have a choice." She says while slowly forcing him to turn with a hand on his shoulder. She can tell Richard Grayson the man wants to, but Nightwing the hero can't show how hurt he is. They lock eyes, Raven can't see it, but she can feel he is staring into hers behind his mask. After several seconds of staring he lowers his head.

"Damn you for being right Rae…" He says before hugging her, it feels like an electrical surge to Raven as he lets go of his pride and takes comfort in her presence. Raven hugs him back gently, letting him get it all out. As they stand there, Raven noticed another couple enter the observatory, Batman and Wonder Woman, who freezes on the spot at the sight then swiftly retreats. It takes Nightwing a good couple of minutes to get it all out of his system.

"Better?" Raven asks in a concerned tone.

"Much, thank you Rae." He says while wiping the water off his cheeks.

"It is what friends are for. Look I need to go talk to some people, you go back to the others." She says, knowing he might decide he needed to go elsewhere.

"Yeah, I think I can." He replies giving her a halfhearted smirk as she disappears, reappearing near one of the dormitory rooms, she knocks on the closed door. The door whooshes open and Batman lets her enter without a word, Raven finds the room dark and mostly empty, except from Diana who is also waiting in the room.

"What happened?" Batman asks.

"Starfire couldn't recognize him." Raven sighs before explaining in detail.

"So why did you push him?" Batman asks after the explanation.

"I know him too well, if he was allowed to bury it, he would never be able to look at her without thinking about it. He was probably the closest to her of all of us and its breaking his heart that he is the only one she can't recognize." Batman sighs deeply, Diana remains passive.

"Can you do anything?" He asks.

"I have something in mind, but I will need J'onn as I can't do it alone." She says shortly.

"I'll go find him." Batman says before leaving the two women.

"How about you?" Diana asks, having noticed the red streaks on Raven cheeks.

"It was hard to see him like that." Raven admits, knowing better than to lie to Diana.

"How about Starfire?" Diana continues.

"I poured everything I had into mending her eyes and nothing happened, but then she wakes up suddenly. I just don't understand it." Raven sighs. "I thought I had failed her. I've beaten Trigon…Malchior, become an Amazon and gotten credit from a Guardian, and I can't do something as simple as mend her eyes."

"We all have our limits sister, and I am sure Starfire won't belittle you for the effort you put into your attempts when she hears of it." Diana says while looking Raven in the eyes. "Remember you carry an exceptional gift when it comes to your healing, but we can't always expect miracles from it."

"I know." Raven sighs. "But it just doesn't seem right that I can't help her see her friends again."

"You will, I know you will." Diana assures. "Now I think you'd better get going, Bruce has probably found J'onn by now." She adds with a smirk.

"Thanks sister." Raven says and meaning it, she needed to hear it from someone other than Richard.


	4. Hard facts, Gritty determination

"So what am I doing?" Nightwing asks as he sits cross-legged at the foot of Starfire's bed with Raven and J'onn floating next to him.

"Just relax you mind." J'onn says calmly as he closes his eyes, mirroring what Raven is doing.

"And hold on." Raven adds. Richard tenses as he world around him is replaced by different one from the hospital room on the satellite to a dark world with no light, the only thing he can see is his two companions; Raven and J'onn.

"Darker than I expected." J'onn notes.

"After two years of being in a coma, it was to be expected." Raven adds.

"We are inside her mind?" Nightwing asks.

"We are, it was the only way I could think of where Star can see you." Raven replies. "Here she comes." She adds while turning to face a certain direction.

"I will go transmit." J'onn says before fading out of view.

"I asked him to relay all we say in here to the others." Raven answers the unvoiced question.

"Friend Raven, is that you?" Nightwing's heart leaps at the voice of Starfire, it hasn't changed a bit from what he remembers. Neither has the Starfire that steps out of the darkness, she is the image he had of her, same long red hair, same dress. The only thing missing is her smile that has been replaced by a face filled with hurt and worry.

"It is Starfire." Raven greets her and is immediately embraced again. "Star, I have someone you need to see." She says quietly, feeling Star is on the verge of tears again. The girl lets go and looks behind Raven where Nightwing is standing. Her eyes grows to the size of saucers at the sight of him, slowly she let's go of Raven and carefully approaches him.

"Robin?" She asks in disbelief.

"It me Star." He says.

"You are not a trick of my mind?" He shakes his head at her while smiling.

"I'm real, it's me Star."

"ROBIN!" Starfire squeals as she grabs him in a fierce hug, inwardly Raven is glad this is not the real world, or Nightwing would be in a hospital. "My prayers have been answered!" Starfire cries as Nightwing hugs her back. As Raven has the time, she notes the world around them becoming slightly brighter, in the distance she can begin to see the silhouettes of things, but not determine what they are.

"It is good to see you again Star." Nightwing says as he takes a look into Starfire's green orbs.

"But Robin why are you in the Wing of Night costume?" She asks as she notices it, then gasps in realization. "Have the terrible future come to pass? Raven are you angry?" She asks as she turns to look at Raven who quirks an eyebrow under the hood, before realizing what she is talking about.

"No Star, I am sane. And Beastboy is not bald." She adds.

"Glorious!" Starfire squeals happily. "I shall make the pudding of happiness!" And instantly she is holding a bowl of pudding in one hand "Please have some." She pushes a spoon full of the pink stuff into Nightwing's face. He can't refuse her, not now, and takes a taste, blinking a few times.

"Tastes like strawberry?" He looks up in surprise.

"Oh, yes, I realized that I could not replicate my puddings with Earthly ingredients, but what is this strawberry you mention?" She asks.

"We will show you some time." Raven adds as she steps closer, her own hidden desire of strawberries drawing her closer. "Can I taste?" She asks, which surprises Starfire, it had finally dawned on Star that Raven didn't want any of her cooking while they lived at the Tower.

"Of course friend Raven." Starfire says and hands her a spoonful. Raven chews on it for a few seconds, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Mmm, that's good." She says, it reminds her of strawberry pudding.

"Glorious!" Starfire squeals again, happy that her friend likes it, Nightwing stands surprised.

"I didn't think you were a strawberry person Rae?" Raven smirks at his question.

"Oh friends, while I am most delighted to finally see you all, I must know what has happened since I left Earth. It has after all been two years." Both Ravens and Nightwings hearts sink at her question.

"Star, it's been four years since you left Earth." Nightwing says quietly, she turns to look at him to see if he is joking. Finding no sign of deception she turns to Raven.

"Is it true?" She asks.

"I am afraid it is Star." Raven sighs taking on a downhearted look on her face. "Starfire, how much do you remember?" She asks.

"I remember the journey home, that I was ambushed by my sister…." She trails off and tears appear in her eyes. "I remember so much pain, until I wished it all away to awaken here. "Please, I need to know, what has happened to me?" Neither of the two wants to be the ones to tell her. "Please."

"Star, this will take some explaining and I am not sure what will happen here when I tell you. Nightwing would you mind?" Raven asks, he just nods in understanding. "J'onn you can take him out." She says to the darkness.

"It's been good to see you here Star." Nightwing says before he fades out, leaving a confused Starfire with Raven.

"Please, I am confused, who is this J'onn?" Starfire asks, Raven sits herself down on the ground.

"You might want to sit down for this." Raven says, Starfire sits down in front of her while pulling her knees up to her chin. "The day after you left, the Teen Titans disbanded. Cyborg went to Metropolis, Beastboy returned to the Doom Patrol and I stayed behind…" And such Raven begins telling her friend about what has happened in the past four years, her lonely vigil in a hostile city, her encounter with the dragon and what has happened since, skimming quickly over her own trials with the League. Ending with the rescue mission they just returned from, Raven pauses a little when she mentions the wounds Starfire still carries, which Starfire assures her she is aware of being hurt.

"So my sister is with these Guardians yes?" She asks.

"They promised they would keep her locked away, and for her sake, I hope they do." Raven replies.

"I see." She sighs before looking into the distance. "Raven, am I a horrible person to deserve such a fate?" She asks half heartedly, something inside Raven breaks at the question, how could Starfire think like that?

"No, no you're not, no one deserved such treatment." She replies sternly.

"But why then?" Star asks.

"It has nothing to do with you Star, it is that monster you have as a sister."

"She is ill perhaps?" A part of Raven applauds Starfire for trying to defend her sister, and another part wants to hit her and tell her that she is better off forgetting she has a sister.

"No, she is not, or her actions could be possibly excused. Your sister has urges to bend everything around her to her will, to be the one who decides everything for everyone. To her there is only one person that matters, herself, everyone else are there to serve her." Raven explains, Starfire just looks at the ground disheartened.

"Her family as well?" She asks.

"No, she doesn't understand the concept of a family. She doesn't want it and the one she has is a threat to her, a hated enemy. Starfire, I won't tell you how to handle your family, but I will ask you not to think of Blackfire as your sister, because she will never see you the same way."

"I will think about it." Starfire says sadly. "I wonder what she made of Tamaran?" Raven sighs.

"I can show you, but I am certain you won't like it."

"Please, I wish to know." Raven closes her eyes as she brings her memories of the flight to and over Tamaran to life around them. Starfire sees the fleets, the defenses and the changes to the capital and the palace. Starfire sheds a tear for her homeworld as the images fade. "My home…is no longer beautiful." She says sadly.

"I am sorry Starfire." Raven says, knowing what it is like to come home to a place that has been changed.

"What shall become of me now? I can no longer assist you in my condition." Starfire asks after a few moments of silence, as Raven gets up.

"We will find a way to heal you, I promise." Raven replies, Starfire smiles slightly.

"I am glad I have friends like you Raven. I shall wait for the day when I can see you again with my real eyes." She says while embracing Raven.

"So what now?" Cyborg asks Nightwing after Raven comes back; the others had the whole thing transmitted to them by J'onn.

"Well, I bet Rae will be hitting Fate's library after she had a chance to rest." Raven nods at the suggestion. "In the meantime, Cy, is there a way we can possibly copy your design? In case Ravens search proves unsuccessful."

"I'm not sure man. The entire half of my skull is mechanical, so I am not sure if it is possible, but I will have a look." The half-man replies, knowing fitting Starfire with his tech is a last resort other than leaving Star in her current condition.

"Good, I will ask the League if there is anything they can do. Gar, how long can you stay?" Nightwing asks, knowing Beastboy had only said that he could stay till they got Starfire back.

"For as long as I want, the Patrol can handle itself." Beastboy replies sternly, Nightwing gives him a appreciative nod. "Besides, I'm needed here as emotional support." He gives a grin before turning into a green kitten that meows once before running into Starfire's room.

Several days later, Raven is still pouring over ancient books and scrolls in Dr. Fate's library. Only taking time out for herself to rest and meditate when her search becomes too frustrating. Yet a cure continues to elude her. Finding the 26th lead another dead end, she groans loudly as she drops the book on the table before her in frustration and slumps back in the chair.

"Another dead end?" Dr. Fate asks as he enters the library, Raven just nods too tired and annoyed to face the man. "You could ask Amazo to read it all through?" He suggests, said android had tried to get Raven to rest more and join him for a game of chess, but had been waved off.

"Does he know the difference between a Tamaranian eye-ball and that of a N'krar?" She asks, the N'krar are small magical imps with green eyes that prefer walking on their hands.

"I doubt it, but I won't claim to know a spell as specific as the one you are searching for." Fate says as he looks at the pile of books Raven has already gone through and the even larger pile she has yet to begin on. "If you can spare the time, I was looking to talk to you."

"I'm listening." Raven says while rubbing her eyes while grumbling internally over the poor lighting in the tower.

"You know Shayera went to Jump City after we sent you back?" He asks, getting a nod from Raven. "While there, she visited S.T.A.R. Labs where they keep the remains of the dragon you fought, Shayera advised me to go there and help them in their research. When I got there, I did have to deal with an angry doctor who seems to dislike the League, but I was allowed to examine the body. I hope you can shed some more light on the subject, since you are the only one who has really observed him while he was still alive." Raven sighs at him.

"His name was Malchior, he once ruled a kingdom called Malkuth till the wizard Rorek challenged and imprisoned him in his book. Over the course of millennia Malchior subtly changed the insides of the book till it was just another story book that passed thought various owners, until he finally landed in the hands of a lonely girl. A girl he tricked, lining his words with honey he made her believe he was the wizard and that he cared for her. After teaching her his craft, she released him, realizing too late her error. He was free but only for a short while as the girl learned the original curse and sealed him back into the book. Later the book was stolen, but it went unnoticed and the dragon was freed again, but he choose to remain hidden until he joined a society that hated the girl and her friends. He and the girl never met face to face as he encountered a man who sent him to another world. A year ago, the dragon returned at the wish of a madman. Seeking vengeance, he burned the girl's home to the ground and devastated her city, the city she had sworn to protect. The girl and he fought a vicious battle in the clouds over the city. Wanting her to suffer and knowing what she was, he cast a spell that turned the girl into a hideous monster, a monster that proved to be his own undoing. The duel ended with his death as his heart was impaled by the girls power, the girl then vanished and has never been seen in her city again." She sighs having repeated all that like reading from a story book. "But I figure you knew all of this."

"I could not deduct his name from my own examination; his body was heavily warded against such spells. How did you bypass that?" He asks, having seen the fatal wound.

"I made a bubble of my powers expand rapidly within his heart, his wards only worked against spells affecting his skin. It was something I noticed when I blocked his breath." She answers before lapsing into silence, waiting for the next question, when none comes she asks one of her own. "Can I ask how your search into me is going?" He looks up in surprise. "Batman monitors all traffic going in and out of the Watchtower, he told me after I was cleared by the founders."

"After you left, I was reminded of something I once read regarding demons. Your father was known as the Eight Devil, ruler of his own level of hell, a level he created when he conquered his home dimension. The inhabitants slowly changed into the demon armies he commanded. This you probably know already, but it was something I had to read up on." Raven nods at him; she had commanded one of those armies for a short time after usurping Slade. "What sparked my curiosity was the memory of the demonic hierarchy; each hell has a supreme ruler, a being of untold power who rules with an iron fist. While rare and far between, changes in these greater hierarchies are not unheard of, but they are never peaceful. Do you understand where I am heading?" He asks Raven who looks bored.

"My father was a ruler of his realm, what you are saying is that because I supposedly killed him, I happen to be the new boss." She says, having often thought it was most likely the case if she was ever to show up down there.

"You knew?" He asks.

"I figured it would be like that." She shrugs. "But I have no interest in any of it." Fate nods at this.

"I suspected you wouldn't. I just wish to warn you that there may be people who will come for you because of it."

"I know, but thank you for the warning." Raven sighs as he gets up and offers his hand.

"Come, Inza has prepared supper, and you seem you could use a change of scenery." He says, he had become increasingly worried about his visitor who rarely left the library.

"Thanks, I believe you are right." She says, now that she is reminded of it, she wonders how bad she actually looks after being cooped up in here for so long. Fate had informed her earlier that day, at least she thinks it is the same day, that she is there on the 5th day running. "And when we are done, you need to sleep in a bed and not in the chair I've found you in so often." Raven had turned it into a habit of reading for as long as possible before she simply dozed off in her seat, when she thinks about it, last time she slept in bed was the night before she left with Green Lantern, and that has been two weeks ago.

"Doctors orders?" She asks, letting on a tired smirk.

"Doctors orders, but maybe a shower would be a good idea first?" He notes, Raven is currently too tired to care about it.

"You know, you really should consider getting some more light in there." She notes as they walk down the corridors.

"I will see what I can do, Inza rarely reads from the books in there and I have other means of reading, so do you I suspect."

"I can absorb a book, but everything becomes a mess when I do it. It's how I learned Dark Magic."

"Hmm, like Amazo you carry a wealth of knowledge, but not the skill to use it?" He thinks out loud.

"It's what you get for taking the easy way I guess." Raven sighs, in her own mind she compares it to having bought a car but not having the faintest clue on how to drive it.

"If time allows it, I could see if I can train you in some of its uses."

"As long as you don't call me apprentice if I say yes." Raven replies before walking though the door to the kitchen, getting greeted by the smell of chicken soup.

Late that night, which Raven had been informed was actually her 7th in the tower, she is sleeping peacefully in the bed she woke up in during her first stay. She gets a good 8 hours of sleep before something decides to interrupt the weird dream she was having, a strange mix involving green eye-balls, pudding and strawberries.

_Tweed…tweed…tweed…tweed….tweed…._ The constant beeping slowly brings Raven from the realm of dreams and into the real world.

"Huh? Whu?" She looks around the room to locate the source of the noise, finding it dark and mostly empty, the only thing there besides the bed is the chair Raven has thrown her cloak over and the nightstand next to it. It is while scanning the room she realizes the sound is not coming from the room, it is coming from her. Confused she lifts her sheets and finds a light show. The sound is coming from her bracelets, a small square area on both of them are blinking yellow in tune with the beeping. "Oh crap…" Raven manages as she realizes what it is; Themyscira's distresses call. Quickly she leaps out of the bed and summons the League communicator to her ear while searching for a way to make the alarm shut up, while dialing up Diana's number she manages to shut the alarm off by pushing the left square. "Diana? It's Raven."

"_You got the alarm?"_ Diana asks.

"Yes, it's the real thing?" Raven replies, having lived with Robin in the same tower, the other Titans were sometimes woken during the night by the alarm simply because Robin wanted to test their reaction times or tried to sneak around the alarm system for his own amusement.

"_My mother would not joke about something like this."_

"Good, I will see you there." Raven receives a short farewell before the line is closed, as she fastens her cloak around her someone knocks at the door.

"Is everything well?" The androids voice sounds from the other side; Raven opens the door to face it.

"I have to go, there is an emergency I have to address." She replies while dialing up the Watchtower. "Watchtower, this is Raven."

"_Watchtower here, go ahead Raven."_ Judging from the voice, Raven guesses it is Mr. Terrific at the other end.

"I need a teleport from Fate's Tower to Themyscira."

"_Figured you might, get outside the tower and we will pick you up."_ He replies before turning off the line.

"You have to leave?" Amazo asks.

"I do, tell Fate something has come up." She says as she prepares to teleport outside the tower, which is a bit difficult with the numerous wards on it. "I will return." She says before disappearing, leaving the android behind, a few seconds later Fate shows up, having been woken by the disturbed wards.

"Raven has left the tower; she received a signal from somewhere." The android explains as the mage looks at him.


	5. Before the Door of Doom

_The Watchtower:_

On the satellite chaos rules with heroes running to and fro along with red lights flaring and klaxons blaring. In the middle of it all, Nightwing almost collides with Cyborg outside Starfire's room.

"Rob what's going?" Beastboy asks, still sitting with Starfire as he has done for the last week.

"It's an omega level threat, means it's world threatening." Nightwing explains. "5 minutes ago, Wonder Woman was called back to Themyscira. Someone or something is trying to get out of Tartarus."

"But that means…" Cyborg is interrupted.

"Raven is going there too. The League is mobilizing, they are going to stand guard around Themyscira, but they won't interfere as per the wishes of the Amazons, unless called upon." Cyborg and Beastboy visibly pales at the thought, they have been told that help won't be asked for unless the majority of the amazons are dead. Even Starfire seems to notice the unease in the room as she squeezes Beastboy's hand.

"What about us?" Cyborg asks.

"They want us to go with them, but I won't let Star be alone." Nightwing replies.

"I'll stay; I can't do much good if I am limited to the sky and sea." Beastboy says sternly, knowing most of his preferred animal shapes for direct combat are ground based.

"I was going to say I should stay, but ok." Nightwing says, feeling that Beastboy would not budge from Star, which is odd considering how much time he spent hovering over Raven while they lived together.

"Rob, just make sure Rae comes back." Beastboy says as the two turn to go.

"We will." Nightwing says as he and Cyborg run out the door.

_Themyscira:_

Raven appears in a flash of blue shimmering light in the deserted market square, she takes a second to get her bearings before teleporting to her room. Finding it in the state she left it in, except for two things; the glaive lying on the bed with a note on it, the bookrack she ordered, and an empty rack for a suit of armor. Curious, she picks up and reads the letter, noting it being written in Hellenistic Greek.

_Your weapon has been prepared, but Magala did not say what enchantment she had me put on it. I bring word from our Queen, if you find the rack in your room empty; take a suit from the royal armory._

_ Io_

This surprises Raven, Hippolyta has said only the fiercest Amazons wore those, and they had only seen Raven in training and a mock fight. Fearing deception, Raven quickly scans the paper with her mystic senses, finding no trace of anything on it. _"Must be real then."_ She says, while taking off her cloak, if she is to wear armor her cloak will only prove a problem. Hanging it over the rack, she teleports to the armory, surprising Diana already there.

"Hold them Sisters!" Hippolyta yells over the sounds of battle. Her warriors have formed blocks of infantry with spears, swords and shields at the front, and several rows of archers near the wall behind them, as the Amazons have prepared for battles like this, the field is very much in their favor.

From the entrance leading up to the palace, the ground slopes downwards towards the now open gate at the far end of the cavern, making it easy for the amazons to make room for their archers. Between them and the gate lies the crumbling structures the Amazons found under their island when they arrived, everything on the ground is covered in a thick carpet of grey ash.

Opposing the ordered lines of the Amazons, is the horde spilling from the gate. Flying overhead are ugly broad-chested and bat winged demons that so far have remained circling outside the archers range. On the ground is a mob of various shapes and sizes, some are large and powerful looking, others are imps armed with what looks like pointed sticks. Some seem to be made of stone others seem to be intangible as they shimmer in and out of existence like a mirage. The early arrivals of the horde on the ground has been fighting the front lines of amazons for the last 10 minutes as the archers at the rear rain arrows down on their ranks, but the number of demons are thinning. Between the ranks of amazons with bows and the ones without, stand Hippolyta in the center shouting orders, Philipus on the right flank and the crooked form of Magala on the left. Hippolyta is wearing her battle armor; that seems to be made of platinum; several others like hers in different colors can be seen at the front lines. Artemis and another in a brass colored version, Penelope in a silver suit of a different design where the gloves and arm guards are covered in spikes and scallops, another warrior is also sporting a silver suit in the design of the standard design. Antiope is directing the archers at the back, marking the areas to focus on with flaming arrows, generally wherever the flaming arrow falls, death soon follows. Philipus and Magala remain mostly inactive, only speaking words of power when the horde seems to gather together too much in front of their sisters. Their inactivity is made up for by the crackling lightning or shallow booms that signal the demise of many a fiend. Magala's lighting dancing amongst the demons is the sight that greets the two late coming warrior's emerging from the doorway behind the amazons.

In the darkened cave, Diana immediately stands out along with her mother and the warriors in silver armor as her golden armor seems to light up the room around her. To the enemy she is like a light in a dark place till they see her face that even now is a mask of rage. In her right hand is a long and polished sword on her left she carries a large round shield in the same color as her armor with the same W motif on it as the one that is displayed on her regular uniforms chest. The figure behind her is quite possibly the opposite of Diana.

It had surprised Diana to see Raven appear in the armory, but having seen the note, she confirmed it was Io's handwriting. As the most of the other suits were taken, Raven had the choice between the armor Ares corrupted and the remaining silver suit. The silver suit had a surprising reaction to Raven as she put it on, the silver surface blackened as if it had gone unpolished for a century, only leaving the highlighted area with their original shine. Along with the change in the color, the eyes of the helmet started glowing a dull red. The development had worried Diana, who tried taking on one of the arms guards of Ares' armor, confirming it was still the armor on the rack. Raven speculated it might just be because it was her. While Diana is showing her rage on her face as they enter the cavern, Ravens is a mask of calm as it always is. Where Diana is a glowing light in the darkness, Raven is a barely visible figure in comparison.

"Mother, we are here." Diana calls to Hippolyta who turns to see them, giving Raven an odd look. "It is not the Deceiver's." Diana says quickly noticing the stare.

"Good, we need to push them back to the gate; I want you and the others to spearhead the advance! Diana, take the center, Raven the right flank!" They both nod and fly to their designated positions a step or two in front of the phalanxes. It is timed in as there is a break in the fighting, giving the others time to get in line as well.

"Warriors of Themyscira! Advance!" Diana yells, her voice heard by all and obeyed instantly as the tight knit formations move forwards to meet the next wave of monstrosities, Raven, Diana, Artemis and the two others all stride ahead of the rank and file troops.

"You know; this stinks!" Cyborg complains as he and Nightwing sit in the hovering T-ship along with a dozen Javelins and air born superheroes, most of them restless as the island before them reveals no indication of anything happening on it.

"I know Vic, I hate it as well. But if we all go in without having been given permission, we will be fighting the Amazons as well as whatever is coming out of the gate." Nightwing sighs, part of him, the superhero, wants to go in anyways. The other part, the friend, doesn't want to fight the people they are assisting, especially if he ends up facing Raven for it.

"He is right." Superman says as he floats up besides them. "Queen Hippolyta was quite clear about the consequences if we set foot on the island, no matter the reason. This has been the best we could agree upon; we wait on the border of Themyscyrian airspace, if we are needed we will be called for, until then we leave them to take care of their duty."

"I just don't get why people want to do something like this alone." Cyborg sighs.

"Why did you want to build this ship alone?" Nightwing asks.

"To the Amazons this is a sacred charge placed on them by their gods. Remember they have held this place for thousands of years and most of them down there now, are the same who originally came here." Superman continues.

"They have thousands of years of experience, and Rae has two weeks." Cyborg sighs, voicing his real concern, Superman smirks.

"She will be fine, if she can last over 10 minutes in the ring with Diana, Hades will have to cough up something massive to be any threat to them." Somehow this fails to comfort Cyborg who just sighs.

"And how do we know Hade's himself is not leading the invasion?" Nightwing asks.

"For one, his presence is one of the few exceptions Queen Hippolyta allowed our presence. And I am watching." He says, he can see all the skeletons advancing towards the gate.

"Any chance you can tell us what's happening?" Cyborg asks.

"The amazons are advancing towards the gate, but I can't say anymore."

"So what are they up against down there?" He continues.

"I can't see it, but from Shayera's and Diana's description, Hades is inhabited by large humanoid winged demons and smaller ones that spend much of their time fighting amongst themselves. Diana has speculated that Tartarus is the abode of many of the monsters of Greek Mythology the Amazons has lost track of over the years; but we know for certain that Medusa resides there. Also, she is sure that somewhere deep within Tartarus the old Titans are imprisoned as well."

"The irony, if one of them shows up." Nightwing notes.

Inside the cavern, the battle has come into full swing with the battle lines having closed the distance. The amazons have made it halfway down the slopes towards the gate before they were met by the next wave of the horde and dug in. Over the Amazon lines, the flying demons are being pin-cushioned by the arrow fire which drives most of them back, the rest fall to the ground with pierced hearts, throats or eyes. With the archers being occupied by the winged demons, the horde on the ground is relatively unscratched when it reaches the lines. The amazons react with practiced efficiency, letting the demons smash themselves against their shield walls before the amazons, as one, push them back and skewers them with their spears and take a step forwards and wait for the next line of demons to come again. Diana and the others lead the way for the others, breaking up the horde as it comes towards them, the elder amazons by their sheer strength and experience, Raven having a little more difficulty employs her own powers to assist her, using it to raise clouds of ash or to push the demons back that come armed with weapons other than claws and teeth.

Raven is having a hard time handling her weapon, it seems to have a mind of its own, which greatly annoys her, but so far it has not missed. Each hit has resulted in a fatal wound. It has not gone by Ravens senses that her weapon seems to flare each time her strikes are about to be parried, dodged or otherwise avoided and that it corresponds with the times the weapon seems to twist itself around in her grip to hit its target.

"Push forwards Sisters!" Diana yells from the center, Raven guesses she is eager to get to the gate as fast as possible. "Artemis, Donna, Penelope, Cassandra, Raven lets lead the way!" She yells before Raven can see her glowing form leap forwards, deeper into the mass of demons, soon followed by several demons getting thrown into the air. To her right she can see the silver clad warrior echo Diana's action. In her current form, Raven herself lacks the physical strength of the others so she uses her powers to shift a large portion of the ash under the demons in front of her, causing them first to fall only to be buried under the grey powder. With her way clear, Raven strides deeper into the fray.

"Philipus! Magala. Clear the way!" Hippolyta orders. A few seconds later the crack of lightning is heard from the far left of the battlefield, as Magala incinerates droves of demons. A few yards further down the hill from where Raven is, something that looks like a ball of lighting orb lands amongst the demons, blasting a huge hole in the formation getting Raven and the warriors behind her a face full of ash. "Philipus, aim further down or think of something else!" Hippolyta yells angrily, noticing her warriors getting blinded by the ash cloud. Fortunately the blast allows Raven and the others to recover themselves before the demons come again.

"Hey Diana, getting bored of this?!" Artemis yells over the noise.

"Very! How about the rest of you?!" Diana yells to everyone else, getting shouted acknowledgements from everyone, including Raven, who has come up beside a huge fallen column on her right. "Raven, give us a breather with that!" Diana yells as she spots Raven through the mass and points at the gate, Raven spots her and the motion as well and nods at her. Needing a second to focus on lifting the massive column, Raven sends a blast of ash at the demons approaching her rendering them blind. Letting her eyes spark, she chants:

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The column is infused by her power as it is lifted off the ground, turned a little so its length is parallel with the battle lines, before it is sent tumbling down the ashen slopes, crushing numerous demons in its way with its immense weight before it comes to rest before the gates. Those Amazons able to, quickly advance into the gap left by the column, the others take advantage of the confusion spreading through the demons and descend upon them with renewed fury, driving them back.

"Forwards Sisters, show them no mercy!" Hippolyta yells as she charges from the center of the Amazon army to fight besides her daughter, everyone yells acknowledgements as they surge forwards into the dismantled horde. With the column blocking the entrance, the horde can no longer receive reinforcements or retreat with ease. The Amazons offer no quarter as they brutally massacre the remains. There are only fragments left of the army as a deep moan emanates from the gate. Suddenly the blocking column is shattered sending its sections rolling a short distance before halting, crushing those unfortunate enough to be caught in its path.

From the glowing portal emerges enormous humanoid shapes, twice as tall as a man; heavily armored and armed comes nine minotaur's on cloven feet. Laying eyes on the amazons, they begin bellowing before lowering their heads and charges. The amazons having broken formation to pursuit the scattered demons are caught off guard by the massive beasts and several pay for it with being crushed beneath their feet or impaled by their horns. One of them falls before it reaches the amazons, its throat having been pierced by a burning arrow.

"Reform the lines Sisters! Diana!" Hippolyta yells again, cursing herself inwardly for believing it would be so easy.

"Donna, Artemis, Cassie, Raven, Penelope! With me!" Diana yells, calling the others to her, Artemis and Penelope being without the gift of flight, begin pushing to get to the Princess, the others fly there quickly. "Their armor are weakest at the joints and neck, Sisters, may your aim be true." Diana says shortly before she charges the nearest one. The others swiftly follow; the six Amazons quickly swarm over the beast, with Diana claiming the kill as her sword is driven deep into the beasts throat. One of the other minotaur's seem to realize the threat and charges the group as its kin falls to the ground, its charge separates Diana from her sword as she is carried off between the horns of the beast, the others are scattered as it charges through their midst. Penelope and the silver armored woman land on each other, Artemis and the other bronze armored one are thrown far to the side as the minotaur lashes out with its massive hand as it passed them. Raven is thrown to the other side, landing uncomfortably on her wing ornaments.

Quickly regaining her focus, she rolls to the side and narrowly avoids getting stomped on by another of the beasts. Jumping to her feet she is forced to quickly step to the side as the creatures massive axe thunders into the ground where she was standing. Getting some distance between her and the thing they lock eyes, her purple ones with the beast's red ones.

"Stand still little one and I shall make this as painless as I can." It mocks as it stands up to its full height eyeing the small female in front of it, it doesn't care that Raven's eyes flash for a second.

"Hold that thought." She says adding a smirk, the beast gives her a questioning look, failing to grasp the meaning and failing to avoid being caught between two massive rocks hurling towards it from either side. The result is a loud and sickening crunch as metal, muscle and bone is turned into paste. Raven releases the stones, what is left of the beast sways a little before toppling into a pile.

Raven looks up to orientate herself and to mark where the remaining minotaur's are, finding Artemis slashing away at one with her long sword while she is caught in the beasts massive hand, it would have gone badly for Artemis if it wasn't for the other bronze clad warrior who is busy pounding away at the beasts head with her bare hands. One of the other is slowly but surely being hamstrung and taken apart by Penelope and the other woman in silver. As Raven watches, a minotaur is sent flying towards the gate, only to slam into the doorframe with bone crunching force, the cracked stone and the limp way it falls to the ground, tells Raven it won't be getting up again. The remaining three beasts are busy swatting away at the Amazon spear formations, for most of the amazons the length of their spears is enough to keep the roaring beasts at bay. One armed with a massive club however is carving a path for itself through the women before it; Raven is alarmed as it is heading directly for Hippolyta, who is busy shouting orders to repel one of the other beasts. Raven wastes no time and leaps into the air and flies towards the back of the beast, that is almost upon the unaware Queen.

"My Queen! Beware!" Someone shouts to Hippolyta who quickly turns and spots the approaching beast that has almost reached her. She readies herself for a fight as the thing raises its weapon, ready to crush her. Her crystal blue eyes locks with its, she can see the blood thirst it is under. As the mace reaches its zenith, the minotaur groans and takes a step forwards as something hits it from behind, Hippolyta notes its almost glowing red eyes go completely black as it drops its mace and begins stumbling about while trying to reach something on its back. As it stumbles and turns around, Hippolyta sees Raven trying to pull her weapon free from the monsters back while trying to avoid its hands, pulling hard she succeeded and is thrown onto the ground before the Queen. With the heave, the minotaur is sent stumbling away from the Queen

"It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude Sister." The Queen says as Raven first looks up at her then gets to her feet.

"Just doing my duty, your highness." Raven replies while bowing her head at the monarch.

"You look good in armor Raven." Io's voice quips from their side as the woman dressed in the regular's armor smirks at them. "Colors are a bit contrasting though." She notes.

"Thank you Io, I'd love to talk fashion, but that thing isn't dead." Raven replies while noting the minimum amount of blood on her weapon, nothing more than a surface wound at best, Raven guesses.

"True, but look at it." Io says while pointing at the beast that fumbles around with its hands outstretched as if it is in a dark room.

"Guess whatever you did to this blade is more than just making it willful." Raven looks at her weapon with renewed interest.

"Aye we did." The voice of an old woman reply, as the crooked shape of Magala shuffles closer, to Raven it seems odd to see a woman here in such a state. "Infused your weapon with the abilities of one of Poseidon's creatures it has, a very crafty one at that. Time will soon come when you will know why your weapon always hits and blinds those it doesn't kill, yes, yes." Raven looks at Io hoping for a better explanation.

"We infused it with some of the things an octopus can do. You know get into thigh spaces, spews ink to blind its enemies and the like." She explains with a shrug.

"The effect is not permanent, watch." Magala points at the minotaur that shakes its head as if clearing away spots.

"Magala would you remove this creature from my presence." Hippolyta asks the old woman who nods a few times, before she emits a the sudden smell of ozone and the beast is struck by a bolt lighting that blasts the thing apart..

"SSSSEEE ME SSSISTERS!" A serpentine voice calls from the gate as a solitary figure emerges..

"DON'T LOOK IT'S ME…" The speaker is cut off as she fails to heed her own warning and meets the stare of the gorgon and is turned to stone. Several others suffer the same fate before the rest turn away. Medusa walks calmly down the short flight of steps in front of the gate.

"Whatsss the matter?" She asks with an evil smirk on her scaly face. "I am only here to announccce the next arrival." From where she is Raven can feel the sick pleasure the thing is having by seeing the women in front of it scurry away from her with their eyes closed.

"We need to end this, fast." Io states, while keeping her back towards the gorgon.

"Agreed, if Medusa is free, it means this is happening with Hade's blessing or someone has rallied a huge portion of the damned." Hippolyta confirms. "Raven can you close the gates?" Raven nods, having felt the gates are heavily warded against magic opening them, but none to prevent them closing. "Can you do it from here?"

"I will try." Raven says while sitting down, to close the doors at the current distance is going to need concentration. Focusing she sends her powers racing along the shadows till they reach the gate where they begin to push the doors closed, having to move not only the thick doors, but also the heavy counter weights, beams and the system working them. The oblivious Medusa is too busy basking in the sight before her to notice, until the gates brush a part of the column Raven tossed.

"What? No! BRIAREOS! THE GATE!" Medusa's cry is answered by the moan heard before the minotaur's appeared, Raven sensed the blow before it hits. The half-closed gates are pushed open again by two massive purple skinned fist, the arm belonging to the fist seems to consist of a thousand lesser arms. As the arm retreats again it grabs part of the upper frame, taking the rock with it. The force of the thing pushing against her sends Ravens powers slamming back into her, dropping her on the ground.

"By the Gods…" Io says, having dared to turn around and see the event.

"What…what the hell was that?" Raven asks, while holding her head.

"It is one of the Hecatonchires, a guardian of the Titans." Hippolyta answers flatly, Raven is surprised to feel a very real sense of dread washing over the two. "We have to close that gate before it digs its way out!" She says firmly. "DIANA, THE GATE!" She yells. Overhead Diana zooms towards the gate, Raven notices a piece of cloth tied around her head as she passes over them. How she does it Raven can't tell but she tackles Medusa to the ground when she reaches the gate. Medusa on the other hand seems to possess the same skeleton as a snake and slithers free quickly. The two are soon dancing a dance, Diana attempting to strike Medusa's head from her shoulders while keeping out of the other woman's reach as Medusa tries to peel the cloth from her face. The dance for several long seconds before the fist bursts through the gate, striking Diana and sending her flying into the ruins, while Medusa dodges out of it's way.

"Now Champion of the Godsss. Let me sssee those eyesss of yourssss." Medusa hisses as she sizes the prone Diana, using one hand to hold her head and the other to gently peel away the cloth covering her closed eyes. "Come now, I will make your beauty lassst forever." She mocks noticing Diana squeezing her eyes shut.

"She's already immortal." A flat voice sounds behind Medusa before a sharp pain stabs into her shoulder followed by a blow to her head.

"Is it safe to look?" Diana asks, feeling the weight and smell of Medusa disappear.

"It is." Raven says while looking down at her, Diana will need to recover from the blow she was dealt. "Are you ok?"

"I've been better." Diana replies while dropping down on the ground gain as the fist takes another piece of the door with it. Internally Raven is calculating the odds of stopping this from this side before the gate is completely destroyed. Coming up with only unfavorable solutions, she has another idea, a suicidal idea but one that will work if she acts quickly. Her only regret is that she will break a promise by doing this.

"Diana, I want to thank you for how you and your people treated me, you have no idea how much I have prided myself on becoming your sister, but I have to go now. Remember me fondly." She says with a slight tremble in her voice as she turns away and drops her weapon. Diana blinks once before it dawns on her what Raven has just said.

"WAIT! RAVEN DON'T!" She screams, but it is too late, Raven has seized the blinded Medusa by an arm and her serpentine hair and is forcing her before her through the gate, just on the other side Raven forces Medusa down on her knees as the colossal creature on the other side halts for a moment to look at the two. Diana scrambles to her feet and tries to follow, but stumbles as Raven turns around and with a single hand wave's farewell to the faces on the other side as her powers once again swings the doors, this time they close before the fist smashes against it again. The last thing Raven hears from the real world is the anguished scream from Diana as she races towards the closing gates.

With the gates closed, Raven turns to face the owner of the fist that had pounded away at the gate. She looks up and meets the angry hate-filled stare of the colossus, a variable mountain of a creature; Briareos stands and growls. His four massive arms are made entirely of purple human sized arms, his neck is covered in human sized heads with his own face on them, minus the large curled horns crowning his massive head on his shoulders. He looks at the closed gate once, and growls, realizing the gates are once again able to defy him. His rage builds as he looks down on the two small figures on the rocky path besides him.

"Medusa, are you seeing spots?" Raven asks as she changes into her demon form, knowing she wouldn't survive a blow otherwise, feeling Medusa shaking her head slightly.

"Yesss, my sssight is returning." Medusa confirms.

"Good, have look." Raven orders as Briareos' four arms begin racing towards the two. Raven can feel Medusa try to struggle free of the grasp, but she holds on, forcing her to look at the giant. As Briareos' fists crashes into the path, he looks into the eyes of Medusa for one brief but fatal second. As one of his fists turns to stone, it collides with the two women sending them flying off the path and into the depths of Tartarus. Before Ravens sight goes dark, she hopes she did the right thing.


	6. Lost and Damned

"It seems to be over." Superman notes to the others.

"_We should head back then."_ Batman ads thought the communication device.

"_Fzzz…how does this…fzzz…there? Good."_ A woman's voice breaks through their communicators with a slight screen of static. _"Justice League, this is Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. The battle is over; Doom's Door is closed again. However, the fight was not without its casualties and I bid the founding members of the League and the group known as the Teen Titans to come to the palace if possible."_ After that the line grows dead. The craft hanging in mid air grow strangely silent as well.

"_Shayera, get Wally. I will find a place where I can land. Nightwing follow me."_ Batman commands as his jet breaks formation and moved towards Themyscira, the T-ship follows after a moment.

5 minutes later the group of people is walking up the steps to the palace, keeping to one side as wounded warriors are being carried out. A common trait with everyone coming out of the palace is the layer of ash that covers them all. As they enter the throne room, the group can see the armored Hippolyta sitting on her throne, with her helmet in her lap, quietly staring at the line of her wounded sisters coming out a corridor besides her. To the right on the other side of the scrying pool, between the columns supporting the roof; sits Diana in her golden armor with her hands in her lap and stares out over Themyscira. With her stands a group of six women, all armored and covered in ash.

"Greetings Justice League and Titans." Hippolyta greets in her usual firm voice. "There is no way for me to say what needs to be said, but I will show you, come." She rises from her seat and moves to the pool of water, the group follows, two with an impending sense of dread. As they are all gathered around the pool, with the group of warriors joining them, standing silently between the pool and Diana who has not moved. Hippolyta holds out her hand over the pool, that begins replaying the events of today, from the time Hippolyta's own life was threatened by the minotaur. From what they can see from Hippolyta's perspective, Raven tried to close the doors but could not. After seeing Diana fall, the vision becomes a game of guessing the spec as one seems to force another inside the gate with it as the gates slowly close behind them. At this Hippolyta lowers her hand, but the image blurs as another hand is held over the pool, Diana's.

"_Now champion of the Godsss. Let me ssseee those eyessss of yourssss."_ A hissing voice speaks from the otherwise black pool. _"Come now, I will make your beauty lassst forever."_

"_She is already immortal."_ Ravens voice answers from the still black pool.

"_Is it safe to look?"_ Diana's voice asks.

"_It is."_ At this the pool comes to life as Diana's eyes open to see Raven standing over her with a slightly concerned look in her eyes. _"Are you ok?"_

"_I've been better."_ The image blurs a bit as Diana tries to get up but falls back on the ground, looking up at Raven who seems to be thinking about something, she sighs before turning to Diana again.

"_Diana, I want to thank you for how you and your people treated me, you have no idea how much I have prided myself on becoming your sister, but I have to go now. Remember me fondly."_ Raven says to Diana before she turns and seizes the groping figure of Medusa, as Raven forces the creature before her the image again blurs as Diana fights to get up.

"_WAIT! RAVEN DON'T!"_ Diana screams as Raven crosses over the threshold; the image blurs again as Diana stumbles and falls on the steps. As she looks up again she sees Raven waving at her from the other side as the gates slowly close. _"NOOOOO!"_ Diana screams again as the gates close with a deep _crump_. After this Diana lets down her hand and looks at the mortified faces of her friends and Ravens, her own face is a study in suppressed anguish.

"She saved us." She says wearily. "She saved me…" At this, her emotional dam breaks, at first it is a small tear forming in the corner of her eyes, then a slight trembling of her lower lip. Finally she simply sinks to her knees and cries. Two of the warriors beside her also begin shedding their tears, one curly brunette and one shorthaired.

"Rae, she's..?" Cyborg asks, not wanting to believe what he thinks he saw.

"She sealed herself inside Tartarus." Hippolyta confirms. "From there, we know not what happened to her."

"Nightwing?" Batman asks while pointing to his temple, Nightwing nods at him in understanding. Closing his eyes, he focuses on the bond he has with Raven, finding it to be present but there is no reaction from the other end.

"The bond is still there, but she is not reacting." He says, getting stared at by the amazons, almost pleadingly from Diana.

"He and Raven have a bond between their minds." Batman explains.

"Careful young one, for if the young warrior falls too far into Tartarus that bond will snap." The cooked voice of Magala says as she shuffles out from behind the throne.

"Excuse Magala, she is old and her manners have deteriorated with her age and sanity." Hippolyta mentions with a harsh stare being sent at Magala.

"Fear not my lack of sanity!" Magala croaks. "But heed my word, the young one is alive as are all those still of flesh who enter Tartarus. That is the only supreme rule Hades has!"

"Magala, speak clearly for once!" Diana says teary eyed as she stands up.

"But I do Princess, the young one cannot die while in Tartarus." The old woman replies. "Alas she will endure the same torment all others who end there."

"Hades cruel idea of a joke." Batman says. "If his prisoners die, he can't continue to torment them."

"We get her back!" Diana says sternly. "No one shall have to endure Tartarus because of a noble deed." The warriors behind her all agree with nods and grumbles.

"Agreed, but alas you know we cannot enter through the gate from this side when closed." Hippolyta says solemnly.

"It will take time, but we will find a way." Batman confirms. "Diana, I take it you will stay here for the time?" Diana nods at him, there are things she needs to do, Sisters to heal and mourn. "We will call if we find a way." He says before bidding farewell to the Queen and turns around, with the rest following him out.

"She must be quite something." The silver armored warrior besides Diana notes as she takes off her helmet, revealing her pitch black hair.

"That she is Donna, she has caught the eyes of the Gods. For good or ill, they have taken notice of her." Hippolyta replies. "I take it at least four of you will go with Diana when the call comes?"

"They will need a guide." Artemis adds, explaining her own involvement.

"Those of you who wish to partake in the mission, have my permission to do so. Cassandra and Donna, you will fill in while they are gone." The two nod at the command. "Go get cleaned up and rest, we have earned it today."

"She's taking this unusually hard." Cassandra notes to Donna as the pair follow the others out.

"She's not used to being saved." Donna notes back.

"Oh Friend Robin, I am happy to see you here again." Starfire squeals as Nightwing emerges into her mindscape, it is considerably brighter now than it was when he was first there.

"Hey Star, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you." He greets with an apologetic look on his face, Starfire lands in front of him with a worried look on her face.

"You have yet to find a way to cure me?" She asks.

"We have some ideas about it, but they are mostly Cyborg's." He admits.

"Oh, has friend Raven not succeeded in her search?"

"From what we heard, she had not found anything yet. Listen Star, you remember Raven telling you about the Amazons?" He asks, wanting to focus on the matter at hand.

"Oh yes, she told me she visited them for two weeks, why do you ask?"

"Well, going there was a part of Raven's trial for the League. While there, she impressed the Amazons so much that Wonder Woman's mother, the Queen of the island, decided to induct Raven into their people."

"Oh how glorious for friend Raven! But why did she not tell me herself?"

"Well you know how Raven never wants to brag about anything." Nightwing says with a smirk.

"I do, but I do not see how this is bad news?" She asks, Nightwing's smirk disappears again.

"Well, the thing is that, beneath the island the Amazons live on, is a gate into an underworld. Like the place Trigon lived in. Raven was called back to defend that gate a little while ago." He says.

"I felt Beastboy was anxious for a period of time, was that it?" She asks.

"Yes, it was, the League was preparing for the event that the Amazons could not close the gate themselves…" It suddenly dawns on Starfire that something bad has happened to Raven.

"Please do not say friend Raven has perished!" She says while grabbing Nightwing and lifts him off the ground by his shoulders.

"No, no she hasn't. Star, Raven went into the underworld to save the others, and shut the door after her. And now she is stuck there." Nightwing explains while looking disheartened at the ground.

"You aim to retrieve her, yes?" Starfire asks while still holding Nightwing in her hands.

"Plans are being made, but we have to find another way inside. For now all we can do is wait." He sighs.

"You have feelings for her." Starfire notes while putting him down again, Nightwing looks at her with confusion written over his face. "Please, it is ok."

"I have developed feelings for her since she returned." He manages. "Next to your leaving, I felt the worst about leaving Raven alone in Jump City. When she disappeared after the fight with the dragon, I went around and blamed myself for not being there for her. And when she appeared again, I found she had changed so much, yet remained the same. When Batman ordered her to go undercover, I was upset that I had so little time with her before she was sent off again…." He stops realizing he is rambling about his feelings for another woman in front of his ex-girlfriend, who just smiles slightly.

"It is ok, Raven is a good friend and I wish you the best when you approach her. But can I ask if it is me that has caused this?" Nightwing shakes his head, he should have expected this.

"No, it is nothing about you Star. And before you ask, I can't compare the two of you. When we lived in Jump, you were the sun that brightened up my day when I got too frustrated with myself. You are open and easy to talk to; you seem to have no secrets and shared everything on your mind. Raven is different; she was the one I could talk to about anything in Jump City, the one who knew what it was like to be in the darkness. I've come to realize we share so much common ground, and this only became reinforced when she returned. Star, I was never honest around you when we were together, I couldn't pull you down into my darkness and you never saw me without my mask. I am not saying this to hurt you, but what you fell in love with back then was only a part of me. I think you fell in love with Robin, the Boy Wonder, not Richard Grayson." He says as he takes off his mask, Starfire looks intrigued at him for a moment.

"I know. When I could, I often thought about us. I came to the understanding that you, as you said, were not honest with me. I need the sun for many things, but you desire the night, where you work best. Perhaps when I am better, I will find someone who desires the sun as I do?"

"Star, I am sure you will." He says before giving her a hug, happy that she understands.

_Tartarus:_

"Move it maggots!" A large demon yells at the group of imps following him. "The Master wants the Gorgon back in her cell before she draws fresh breath!" The group is searching the bottom of a chasm, surrounded by red cliffs.

"She's here!" One of the imps yells in its squeaky voice.

"Well go get her then!" The big one yells at them, his right hand drifting down to rest idly on the whip he carries, the group of nine imps quickly scurry over the small ridge to where their companion spotted the fallen Medusa. One of them stops on the ridge, look down at something the overseer can't see.

"Umm boss, there's something else down here." Grumbling about worthless imps, the overseer stomps up to the ridge. To his left, the other imps are busy hoisting Medusa up on their shoulders, while one is tying a scarf around her eyes. To his right a little further back lies the unmoving form of an armored warrior with red skin and her face in the ground.

"Well, get moving and see what it is!" He grumbles to the one that made the discovery as he kicks him in the direction. The imp falls face first onto the ground, but it quickly scurries onto its feet and runs over to the warrior. It pokes the exposed upper arm twice, getting no reaction, before it strains itself to turn the warrior over on her back.

"It's a woman." It cries.

"I ain't seen a woman with that kinda skin." The overseer replies while it stomps over to have a look for itself. "Get the helmet off her." He commands, the imp begins tearing at the strap going under the cheek, after it succeeds the helmet falls back to reveal an angular face with four closed eyes, the overseer jumps back at the sight. "Get back! It's a Trigonian!" The imps carry Medusa over the ridge while the overseer follows then drops on his belly to keep an eye on the unconscious demon.

"What's it doing here?" One of the imps asks.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think!" He replies while swatting it away. "We sit tight, till the higher-ups show up, this is their specialty." He says before pulling a horn he is carrying at his hip to his mouth and blows a long tone.

"It never seizes to amaze me you never realize I see all that you do." A deep calm voice says from behind the group, who immediately turns around and fall on the ground before the speaker. The overseer follows suit.

"Master, it's a Trigonian." The overseer says without lifting its head as the large, black haired man passes him.

"I know you dimwit. Hmm, there has been silence from their realm for some time now, wonder what it is doing here?" Hades muses to himself as he looks at the fallen Raven. "No matter, it will speak of its purpose soon enough." He turns his gaze on the overseer on the ground besides him. "You, take it to a cell." The overseer scrambles over to Raven to pick her up and slings her over his broad shoulder.

"Torments Master?" The demon asks, still keeping its eyes lowered.

"Hmm, not yet, it may be here on valid grounds." Hades replies while stroking his goatee. "But it does strike me odd that a rebellion takes place and then we find it here, alongside the supposed leader. Notify me when it comes to." He says before he disappears.

_The Watchtower:_

"So you can't just open a portal into Hades?" Shayera asks Dr. Fate who has been called in to the emergency session along with the League founders, minus Diana.

"I cannot open one instantly, when we fought Echultu, I had been studying him for weeks and had prepared for the event that I had to journey to his realm." Dr. Fate explains.

"Is it possible you can find a way?" J'onn asks.

"Yes, but I will need time to prepare for it." The mage replies.

"Question, can't we just summon the Justice Lady, have her make arrangements to get Raven shipped out of Hades, I mean she doesn't have to go back on that boat?" Flash asks, remembering the tale Zatanna told him.

"No, for one, Dike won't tolerate being used like that. Secondly, Charon won't allow Raven to just leave, and from what Diana has told me, he is not someone you want to cross." Batman replies. "But you have a point; Dike could prove an advantage if Hades insists on keeping her."

"She can't teleport out herself?" John asks Fate.

"Most likely not, Tartarus is a prison; its walls are warded against such escapes and entries. Which brings up the next question, once inside, how will the team get out?" The mage replies.

"We could arrange for the gate to be opened when we need it." Shayera ads, having seen Diana open it when the two were there last.

"Still leaves the journey from where Raven is to the gate." Superman notes.

"Don't worry; most of those demons are quite stupid." Shayera leans back in her seat.

"But in sufficient numbers, their stupidity is no hindrance." Fate mentions.

"So, we are looking into ways of getting in and out, so how about how we locate her?" Superman asks.

"Have Diana lasso someone down there and they will tell." Shayera continues, Batman nods at this before speaking.

"Leaves only for a team to be assembled, we all know Diana will go. But no matter the planning, it is still a dangerous mission."

"I will go, I have been there before and my mace will prove useful." Shayera says, it raises a few eyebrows that the most skeptics amongst them volunteers. "What?" She asks noticing the looks. "If she made Diana break down completely by doing what she did, she must be good enough." The others accept this with a few looks being sent at each other.

"I know Nightwing at least will go, possibly Cyborg." Batman mentions.

"So we have 3 possibly four volunteers." Shayera says, sighing knowing no one else at the table was going to volunteer. "Somehow I think we need more."

"Five of the Amazons have permission to tag along." Superman mentions.

"I shall go as well, depending on Raven's condition when we find her, my abilities might be needed." Dr. Fate adds, Batman nods again.

"I suggest the group is complete as it is." He says.

"So it's; me, Fate, a bunch of kids and a squad of amazons? This should be good." Shayera says with a smirk.

_Tartarus:_

As Raven awakens, first thing she feels is that she is not lying down; the other is the thundering headache she has. As she gets more aware, she can feel ground under her feet, and something holding onto her arms. As she finally opens her eyes, she is greeted by the light of a single torch burning on its perch on the wall in front of her. She is in a small room made of square stones, with the torch, her discarded armor in the corner and herself as the only features. Failing to put a hand to her head, makes her realize why she is standing up, she is shackled to the wall behind her by her wrists and ankles. The position is uncomfortable as her arms are being forced to be slightly above her shoulders, and she can't pull her legs together either. Willing herself to stand properly, she tries puling at the chains holding her right arm, getting nothing from the effort. Sighing she resigns herself to waiting and thinking.

"_Guess, I must have been found." _She muses to herself, assuming she's now in the depths of Tartarus, she thinks of a thing she needs to do. _"Hemon?"_

"_I am here Raven." _The old man replies in her head.

"_I believe I may be in really deep trouble now."_

"_Captured in the depths of Tartarus? Who would have thought?"_ The old man replies sarcastically.

"_Funny, you know what I am about to ask?"_

"_Have no fear for us, we have barred the gates. Remember Raven, whatever is about to happen, you are in our prayers."_ He replies, all sarcasm gone from his voice.

"_I think, prayers are the only thing that can help me now."_ She replies solemnly as her attention turns to the footsteps she can hear from outside the cell. A long minute passes before the steps halt outside, a key is pushed into a lock and turned, a green wooden door to Ravens right, which she couldn't see while it was closed, opens inward. A large man dressed in black, redlined armor, with a grey shirt and pants underneath it, steps into the cell, as he turns to regard Raven, she notes he has black long and curly hair along with a black mustache and goatee. He smirks a little at the sight, while a fire seems to flare in his eyes. Something inside Raven clicks, an image of a picture she saw in the Royal Library with a name attached to it; Hades.

"Good you have awakened." He says in a deep voice that seems to make its own echo. "Now Trigonian, what is your business trespassing into my domain? Did your master send you to spy on me? Or did he secretly send you to fan the fires of rebellion currently raging across my realm?" Raven raises an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She say's in all honesty.

"I'm sure you know, tell me now and you may return to him after being taught a lesson of course." Hades smirks as he bends forwards, stopping as Ravens face is an inch from his own. "I'm feeling generous as one of the figureheads of the rebellion was captured with you."

"I don't know what you are talking about, I am here because Medusa tried battering her way through Doom's Door." She says calmly.

"Ah, so it was you that broke the seal." Hades smirks again. "So Trigon is the instigator." He muses again.

"Trigon has been dead for four years." Raven replies, the temperature in the room seems to rise as the glow appears in Hades eyes again.

"Never interrupt me, lowly one." He says in a low and deadly voice, as his right hand blurs and backhands Raven, slamming her back against the wall. "I see you will deny me for now, and for that there is punishment." He says before turning and walking out of the room as Raven struggles to stand properly again, the taste of her own blood fills her mouth. "She is yours." Hades says to someone outside the cell, before his heavy footsteps signals his departure.

Raven feels her head stop spinning as he leaves, in time for her to see a wooden trolley being wheeled into her cell on squeaking wheels. She knows it's bad when she takes a closer look at the items on it, there is hammers, tweezers, drills, nails, a bunch of surgical equipment and a few small weapons on the tray under the top, all of it bloodied and rusted. The thing pushing the trolley, looks like a large fat man with four arms wearing a leather apron, and apparently nothing else to cover his unwashed body. Its head looks like it had once been cleaved as there is a large wound down the middle. Both its red eyes have been sown open with large stitches, the same kind that has sown the two halves of its mouth shut.

Raven swallows something, as the thing in front of her hovers over its tray, apparently undecided about which tool to use. It seems to settle on a rusted scalpel. Raven fortifies herself for what is about to happen as the thing walks over to close the door. After closing it, it seems to spot something in the air above it, reaching up to touch it, Raven feels like something is tugging on her mind. A low chuckle comes from the creature's throat at the reaction, before the hand with the scalpel races up in a cutting motion.

In Wayne Manor, Richard Grayson wakes up with a scream as if someone just drove a knife into his head. Bruce and Alfred finds him thrashing around on the floor of his room, clutching his head, moving quickly they have him down in the cave infirmary. After sedating him, they go about examining him coming up with nothing. Richard wakes up two hours later with a thundering headache and Bruce and Alfred's concerned faces looking at him.

"Richard, what happened?" Bruce asks after Richard moves a hand to his head.

"I don't know, I was fast asleep and then it felt like someone had shoved an icicle into my head." Richard answers before drinking the glass of water Alfred handed him.

"Raven?" Bruce continues after Richard has downed it all, Richard's eyes grow a little larger at the mention.

"No…" He says before focusing on the bond, finding nothing, it was as if it had disappeared. "It's gone!" he says as he turns to Bruce, who sighs.

"Either she has fallen too far now, or someone has forcibly severed it." He says, not wanting to think too deeply about what either option could mean. "Get some rest Richard." He says before he and Alfred leaves Richard in the cave. Unfortunately Richard can't stop thinking about what Bruce's words can mean, it doesn't help him that he keeps imagining the stalagmite above him is really Raven.

_Tartarus:_

She can feel it, she is dying. Her tormentor has crippled her past the degree of Starfire's injuries and now her body was giving up, and she was welcoming it. The thing had at first slashed her stomach open, letting her intestines fall to the floor, before it began slashing and stabbing her arms and legs. When it got bored of that, it had begun chopping her fingers off, piece by piece. When there were none left, it had moved to her face and forcibly pulled a few of her teeth out. Lastly it had slowly removed each of her eyes with its knife, and before her remaining ones had dropped them down its cracked face. She had tried to remain strong; but the first wound was enough to break her, she had screamed and screamed at the treatment while the pleas she made went unheard. Inwardly she had been begging for unconsciousness or death to claim her quick. She hangs limply now in the chains, blind but conscious and alive, which she doesn't understand at all. The first wound alone would have killed her by now as the thing had stomped and pulled at her guts while it worked. Her mind is drowning in the pain her body feels. While hanging there her mind slowly shuts down, Raven would have cried in joy as the darkness overwhelms her and takes away her pain.


	7. An end beyond compare

Sitting up with a start, Raven is awake again. Gone are her injuries, along with her bindings and the cell. Confused she looks around herself, she is on the main road in Jump City in front of Mario's Pizza Parlor she and the Titans frequented so often, the sun is shining overhead with not a cloud in sight. Raven gets up on her feet, wondering why and how she is suddenly here of all places.

"It's back up! Titans GO!" A familiar voice cries behind her, causing her to turn sharply, spotting her four friends charging her. Starfire peepers the ground with her starbolts, which Raven scrambles to avoid almost getting disembowel by a green tigers claws.

"It's me! Raven!" She yells, confused as to why her friends are attacking her.

"Who else would you be, you freak!" Cyborg spats as he fires his cannon at her, striking her shoulder, causing her to stumble through a shop window. Feeling herself getting cut severely on the glass, Raven looks up, catching a sight of herself in one of the shards, she is not in her demon form. She is as she looked at the age of eight, wearing her white uniform. She suddenly feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around.

"We would normally never do this, but you are to be the only excuse." Robin says coldly as he points at her with his staff, behind him the others come through the window brandishing clubs.

"Please what have I done?!" Raven pleads, with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"You were born!" Starfire says as she lifts her club above her head and brings it smashing down on Ravens shoulder, shattering the bone there. Raven screams a high pitched scream before another club crushes her right foot, getting another scream out of her. The others join in and soon, Raven can scream no more, but she continues to feel the blows as they slowly pulverizes her body, staining her white clothes with her own blood. Before the darkness descends on her again, she stares at the hate filled eyes of her friends as they continue to smash their weapons into the pulp on the floor.

Again she opens her eyes to find herself healed completely and in a new location. A darkened city surrounds the square she is in, the buildings are crooked; reminding her of the time Jonny Rancid claimed Larry's power. In front of her is a sea of faces, people she know, people she has befriended and people she has put in jail. Slade in full armor is leaning drunkenly against Nightwing who is doing the same, both with a large tankard in their hands, singing loudly. Superman and the Joker are sharing a laugh and John and Sinestro are arm wrestling with their rings. Raven realizes she is the center of attention, as she pulls at her arms, finding them tied to the two wooden posts besides her.

"Citizens of the World!" Batman's voice says besides her as he steps into her view addressing the crowd that immediately falls silent. "We are gathered here today, in the view of the planet to make an example!" The crow cheers, Raven has sense of dread as Batman turns to her, she can feel the disgust and hatred wash off him as he looks at her. "That you will never be welcome amongst us, you will never be human!" Again the crowd cheer, Ravens knees begin to feel weak as she spots the rolled up whip at his side. "Let us all give thanks to the woman who warned us in time, Zatanna!" He yells as the woman steps into view and bows at the crowd.

"Thank you, only doing my job." She says before turning to Batman. "You may begin." The man moves behind Raven uncurling the whip. This time Raven doesn't scream, she simply doesn't have the capacity for it, even as the whip ruptures her back with each stroke.

It has been a week since the battle and the League is notably acting different, in small ways, as are the Titans and Amazons.

Shayera smashed her television as she stumbled on Gary Lionwell's talkshow that touched on the subject of the 'Raven' sightings in Metropolis and Chicago, Gary had said it was probably some disillusioned fan girl. _"I mean, who would want to be a demon witch?"_ Shayera's mace descended after that comment.J'onn has stopped watching the dance he did with Raven, which he had watched once a day after it was made. The others guess he is hurting on the inside, even if he claimed he was just getting bored. Superman had begun patrolling Metropolis every other day, as if he expected some sort of trouble to arise if he wasn't there. Green Lantern has started going into the combat simulator more often, focusing on fighting in dark places where there was lots of noise, the others worried that he would damage his hearing. Flash and Batman seemed the least affected, but they were. The others didn't notice it, but Wally was unusually restless, even for him. Batman remained the same when around others, but Richard caught him several times studying Greek Mythology in the cave.

Amongst the Titans the change was more noticeable, Cyborg grimly worked on an idea he had to help Starfire. Beastboy was grim as well and his time with Starfire has been stiffer than it was before. Starfire noticed and became increasingly restless as no news came to her of Raven's safe return. Nightwing is taking it the hardest, he walked around the cave and Wayne Manor for four days like a zombie, often stopping at Ravens room or staring absentmindedly at the stalagmites she had slept on, in a subconscious hope that she would suddenly be there, having escaped on her own and just needed the rest. On the fifth day Batman had shaken and talked some sense into him. "What would she think if she saw you like this?" And that was all it took to return him to his determined self.

On Themyscira, the group going with the League trained and prepared for the journey. Philipus finding Magala more focused on her teachings than she had been for years. Io works ceaselessly to ready the weapons and armor that was to be used by the group. Hippolyta had decided to let them all wear the armor sets, as they were sure to need the protection offered. Antiope and Philipus had declined the offer, Antiope because her aim would be affected by the extra weight and Philipus because they interfered with her magic. Diana had been in a mix of grief and hope, Artemis had shaken her clear of the grief pretty quickly; "She wouldn't be very proud of being your sister if she saw you now." She had noted as Diana had been spending most of that day before with being depressed and closed off. Brief round of wrestling Artemis to the ground and Diana agreed and began preparing as well.

_Tartarus:_

"She still resists." Hade's notes as he looks through the eyes of the tormentor, watching him slowly drag a red hot piece of iron across her midsection to her pained moaning: Hades has been quite amused by the suffering Raven endures, it has been so long since he had someone new to torment and his favorite pet; Felix Faust, had escaped and joined the rebellion. But Raven had so many fears and insecurities he could play on that Faust didn't matter anymore. "Alas, I think it is time for a change, leave her. And bring her to my library when she is healed." The tormentor stops at once and leaves Raven covered in burns, wimpering in pain.

Over the course of her stay, Raven has lost the perception of time, but accepted that the torments will continue, and that she can't take it anymore. _"How long have I been here?" _She asks herself. _"A day? A week? A year?"_ Inside her mind in the council, a debate is in progress over the course to take, Wisdom and Bravery wants to reach out to the real world with whatever power she can push past Tartarus' walls. Rage wants to rip several people to pieces, Hades, her unnamed tormentor, and a bunch of her friends for leaving her here. Timid is leaning to Rage's side, with the argument that none of her friends would come; that they were probably glad she was gone. She is stared down by Hope, who counseled that her friends has never given up on her before, they wouldn't now, coupled with Wisdom, who adds that it had to be extremely difficult to break into this place. But Hope agrees that a signal must be sent that she is in need of aid. Slowly the others agree, even Rage after the argument that if she could not get free, she would never be able to extract vengeance on anyone. In the cell, Raven closes her eyes and with great effort focuses past the pain and sends her signals with all the power she can muster.

"May they forgive me for doing this." She sighs as she drifts off into darkness again, this time without any new torments to plague her.

_Themyscira:_

"You're Highness! Wake up!" A guard yells while banging on Diana's door. Diana wakes up immediately, fearing a new threat has arisen; quickly she throws on her uniform and heads to the door.

"What is wrong?" She asks the guard outside as she opens the door.

"The fishers say there is something you need to see in the harbor." The guard replies as she stands back to let Diana pass, who gives her a quizzing look before she heads off, flying once she gets outside. Flying over the city, she can see all the fishing boats are still in harbor as the sun rises, which is unusual. She lands at the harbor edge where all the fishers are grouped up.

"What's the matter sisters?" Diana asks.

"There is something wrong with the water your highness; we dare not bring in catch that might be contaminated." One of them explains as she extinguishes her lamp. "The sun will reveal what we saw in a moment."

"By the Gods…" Diana says as the sun rises, the waters of the inner bay have been turned a deep crimson, as if on a hidden signal, the metallic smell of blood reaches their nostrils. "Get Magala down here, I will see how far this goes." She instructs before leaping into the air.

_Wayne Manor:_

Alfred is humming to himself as he is carrying his master's breakfast to the balcony, it would be a splendid way to start the day, if only a certain woman was with them to enjoy it. He had noticed that both Bruce and Richard had become affected by her absence, and not in a good way. Tim had noticed it as well, but chooses to not mention it. As Alfred steps out on the balcony he nearly has a heart attack at the sight, the entire balcony and what he can see of the garden is completely back as it is covered by large black birds that regard Alfred curiously.

"My word." A yelp from inside the manor turns his attention elsewhere, it was Richard.

Alfred is the last to arrive at the man's room, after Tim and Bruce, inside he can see Richard sitting on the floor staring at the largest raven Alfred has ever seen sitting on the edge of his bed. It caws once before flapping over to Richards desk and begins pecking at a book.

"It's her, isn't it?" Bruce asks, having noticed the raven has red eyes.

"She's calling for help." Richard realizes, as he notices the book it is pecking at, a self-help book Tim once gave him as a joke, the word 'help' on its spine getting pecked repeatedly.

_Jump city:_

"Sergeant!" Foley yells from the desk.

"What?!" Rancid bellows as he steps outside, knowing Foley wouldn't bother yelling if it was a trivial matter. Foley points at the TV that he had just turned on. There is a special news report, concerning a gigantic skeleton with antlers and four eye sockets having risen out of the Jump City Bay. The monstrosity had caused widespread panic as it had first stayed at the barren Titan's Island for an hour, almost unnoticed, before it had walked through the city and moved inland. "Cool." Is Rancid's only comment. The skeletal colossus was later found at a clearing in the woods surrounding Salam.

On the League satellite, Beastboy receives a call from an angry Mento.

"Garfield Logan, how many time do I have to say it; NO pets!?" Beastboy looks at him questioningly in the private video booth.

"Come again?" He asks.

"The flock of birds in your room?" Mento grumbles.

"Wha? I don't have a flock of birds as pets!" Beastboy exclaims, with a reputation as a guy who regularly ignores rules, it is hard to be innocent for once.

"Right, if you won't admit it. Then you will when I start throwing them out the window." Mento says as he takes the camera with him, as he walks down the corridors of the Doom Patrol's castle headquarters. As he enters Garfield's room, in the usual mess it is, he is curious as to how he would even be able to hide so many large birds; they appear to be sitting everywhere they can. On the floor, on the bed, on his desk and even on his pile of dirty laundry. "Well?" Mento asks the camera.

"Umm, they aren't mine." He says, noticing the open window in the background.

"Well they obviously know you." Mento replies.

"Mento, I'm serious, I don't know them!" Beastboy says while shaking his hands in front of himself. "Wait what kind is it?" He asks, as a sudden thought strikes him.

"Crows or ravens, heck I don't know, you're the animal expert." Mento finally seems to buy the notion Beastboy hasn't been hiding the flock.

"Can you get the camera close enough for me to see the eyes?" He asks, Mento looks at him with a puzzled look. "Just do it, please." Mento shrugs and moves the camera around so Beastboy can see, they appear normal to him with their dark eyes, except for one. "That big one, in the back, can you get close to it?" The camera moves forwards with the birds in between hopping out of the way, apparently unafraid of the man moving amongst them. As he gets closer, Beastboy's suspicion is confirmed, the big one has red eyes. "It's her!" Beastboy almost yells.

"Come again?" Mento asks.

"You know Raven?"

"I'm surrounded by them." Mento grumbles back.

"No the girl."

"The one you hovered over for four years? What about her?" Mento asks again.

"The big one is a message from her, hold on, I'll be right down." Beastboy says before he runs off to the teleporters, soon appearing the doorway of his room.

"Care to tell me what this is all about?" Mento shrugs as he turns off the camera.

"You know I told you about Trigon?" Beastboy asks as he enters.

"Demon dude? Yeah."

"Well Raven used bird just like that one, to help us find each other when we were separated." The bird in question leans its head to one side as Beastboy leans down to it, Beastboy is about to turn into a raven to talk to it, but he is startled by it, as it spreads its wings and caws loudly. In response the other birds caw as well and takes off thought the open window, leaving the large on behind with the two men.

"I guess they aren't supposed to do that?" Mento says after the last normal bird is out. Beastboy gets up from his seated position on the ground. "Umm, what's it doing?" He asks again as the bird hops over to a pile of his video games and begins rummaging through them.

"Umm, maybe it wants to play?" Beastboy suggests while shrugging. The bird keeps digging until it finds something it was looking for, and pulls it free with its beak. "Escape from Monkey Island?"

"I thought you said that Raven had the humor of a rock?" Mento notes, having often found Beastboy laughing a lot when playing that particular game. The bird dives into the pile again and digs for something new, dragging another game free of the pile.

"Inferno Raiders?" Beastboy notes, not seeing the connection between the two games the bird is jumping on. "I don't get it, Rae hated video games." The bird shakes it head before moving the games around, so Raiders are covering the lower part of the other game, leaving Escape visible of the title. "Escape Inferno Raiders?" Beastboy asks again, the bird caws loudly as it stomps around in apparent frustration.

"I think it is trying to relay a message." Mento notes from behind Beastboy. The bird caws loudly one last time before, it seemingly melts away into two black snakes, one slithers over to cover the 'raiders' word. The other moves to make letters on the carpet above the two games. The two men are taken aback at this.

"Help Escape inferno!" Beastboy yells as he finally gets the point. "It's Rae, she's calling for help!"

_The Watchtower:_

"So, we have flocks of ravens sighted in two places, a giant skeleton and a sea of blood. All spotted in locations or at people significant to Raven." J'onn surmises as he looks over the footages, the skeleton had ended its journey at the Tower of Fate, but had crumbled to dust before anything could be done, the sea around Themyscira had returned to normal around noon, Diana had reported that apparently the fish had not noticed the change at all. And the flock of ravens at Wayne Manor had dispersed after a few moments after the discovery, leaving only the huge one in Richard's room behind. The bird in question is now in the station laboratory while getting studied by B'wana Beast and Dr. Fate.

"Like Beastboy said, it's a distress call from her." Batman says, quietly wondering how powerful she really was since she was able to enact such feats from within Tartarus.

"But why now?" Shayera asks.

"It is possible it is the first chance she had." J'onn replies. As he speaks the door to the meeting room, with B'wana Beast, Dr. Fate and Nightwing entering, with the bird perched on Nightwing's shoulder.

"That is one strange bird you found." Beast says while throwing a thumb at the raven.

"Stating the obvious." Batman replies, the bird was unusual just by its sheer size and its eyes.

"No I mean, it tried talking to it, but it started speaking to me in really old bird Greek and Latin." He replies as he sits down.

"Anything useful?" Superman asks.

"Well, after it told me to shut up and stop talking down to it, it did say it was sent to get help." He says while the raven glares at him.

"An intellectual raven with an attitude?" Shayera asks while looking bored.

"It's not an actual bird." Fate mentions. "It is a magical construct, like the skeleton that sought me out. Usually they expire when their task is fulfilled."

"The skeleton wanted help as well?" John asks.

"It was the only thing it said before it collapsed."

"But if we have received the distress call, why hasn't that one vanished?" Batman asks.

"Ask it if it has a purpose." Fate says to Beast, who just echoes his words in English, the bird caws in reply.

"It called it irrelevant to translate your words, it understands English, but it says it can help you locate Raven once inside Tartarus." Batman nods at this.

"How soon can you be ready?" He asks Fate.

"A week and all shall be prepared, believe me, I wished it could be done faster, but Tartarus is difficult to get into." Nightwing sighs at this; it had taken only a week's stay for Raven to reach out, while it had taken years to acknowledge she couldn't beat her father alone.

_Tartarus:_

"Ah, so good you came." Hades smirks as he sees Raven being herded into the ruins of his burnt down library by two of the Overseers kin, before she is trips and falls to the ground. With her hands shackled behind her back and her feet connected by a short length of chain, she can't do much other than fall on her face, getting weak groan out of her. The bruises already there, tell of several similar falls.

"Not like I had a choice." She mumbles as she lies with her face in the ground. Even after the short pause in the torture, she is still completely exhausted and hungry, and her body is hurting all over. "Arg..!" She complains weakly as Hades lifts her up to his height by her long hair.

"True, but you could just tell me what you are doing here. Why has your master sent you here?"

"N-no one sent me." Raven replies as she hangs limply in his hand.

"Hmm very unlikely since your kind is fiercely loyal to your master. Try me again at your own peril." Hades warns.

"It's true…" Raven sighs, knowing more pain is about to come regardless of what she says. The glow in Hades' eyes appear again, in one swift motion he swings Raven around by her hair once before slamming her into the stone floor, both bones and stones cracks and crumble under the impact. Raven grimaces at the new injures while tears begin rolling down her cheeks. "It's true…" She whispers through clenched teeth, Hades just seems to smolder.

"Hmm, your loyalty is commendable if he swore you to secrecy. I wonder if I can loosen that tongue by direct confrontation." Hades acts on his idea at once and has a flaming portal open in front of him. "Trigon!" Hades commands, the portal seems to shift from place to place before it dies out, leaving Hades to stare at nothing but Raven's crumbled shape in front of him. "Hmm, so your master chooses not to answer me. But answers I will have!" He intones as he picks up Raven again by the hair. He stares at her, before letting his mind invade hers.

"Charming." Hades notes to himself as he stands on the rocky path, Azerath has by barring its gates used one of its few countermeasures in case it is threatened, the city turns invisible, completely. "Now where would her memories be?"

"It matters little, you will never see them." A hissing voice sounds behind him; he turns to see three cloaked women in a red, a green and a black appear before him. "DIE!" The red cloaked one screams before the three rush him.

"Fools." Hades shrugs before taking a deep breath before exhaling a long column of fire; the three are caught in the center of it. Hades is surprised to feel a fist slam into his throat, breaking the stream of fire and sending him stumbling back coughing and wheezing for breath.

"That you are. My mind; my rules." The green cloaked one says as he looks up, seeing them all completely unharmed by the fire that melts stone. "Now where were we? Oh yes." As he looks he noticed they all sport four red eyes, hiding in the shadows of the hoods before they rush him again.

Outside, Raven knows what she is doing will only earn her more pain, but Hades moved into the only place where she can have a small, petty, measure of revenge against him. To her it is a victory, when she sees Hades's eyes rupture before her, knowing Rage and Hated had dug their claws into them. The reaction from him is immediate.

"WRETCHED CREATURE!" He roars as he hurls her away from him, sending her crashing through the outer wall. "YOU DEFY ME! WOUND ME! LIE TO ME!" He continues to roar at Raven who lies awake but unmoving in the rubble. "YOUR MASTER CARES NOT FOR YOU OR YOUR SUFFERING! AND YOUR SUFFERING SHALL BE ETERNAL!" He roars before opening his mouth again and breathes the stream of fire, this time incinerating Raven till she is nothing but a charred skeleton. Before she blacks out in the blistering heat, she thinks about laughing at him and his tantrum, but her broken body can't pull it off. "PUT HER WITH THE TITANS!" He roars at his underlings before turning away.

From that point, Raven clings to that small moment, she had wounded him and humiliated him by forcing his anger to shine, and in front of the crowd she had seen outside the building. It was a small flame to her on a freezing winter night to keep warm by. The moment of seeing Hades' fury is the image she remembers and clings to the best she can, because reality loses its meaning to her. She would wake up to new horrors and torments only to die and then wake up in a new scenario. Eventually the only ones that really affected her were the ones that somehow involved her friends. They still affected her because Hades added small twists to it, like making the Titan copies act completely like the real thing for a period before something happened and she would be subjected to some form of torture at their hands before dying. The worst was the one where she thought she had been saved by her friends and taken home to Wayne Manor, only for Richard to suddenly turn on her. She had been completely helpless as he first beat her then forced himself upon her before mutilating her to death with an old birdarang. What made that particular one unbearable was that it was the last one she thought was real because it seemed so real, it seemed like it had lasted for days as she recovered before meeting her end in Richards bedroom. After that, she cut off all emotional ties to all she saw and just waited for the inevitable to happen.


	8. Infiltrating Tartarus

The week passes in the outside world and Fate finally calls the League to announces he has completed his work. Only hours after the call was placed, visitors begin arriving at the tower. Batman with Nightwing. Cyborg and Beastboy in the T-Ship. Shayera under her own power and Diana with the squad of Amazons in her jet. Currently the group of travelers has gathered in the central chamber of the tower where Fate is preparing to cast the spell that will take them into Tartarus with the help of Inza.

"Dude, Raven trained with those people?" Beastboy whispers to Cyborg, while motioning at the squad of Amazons currently putting on the armor and armaments they had brought with them. Beastboy had thought Diana was exceptional amongst her people with her muscular build. Having read too much in junk magazines, Beastboy had thought Amazons were rather frail creatures and their supposed grueling training regime was nothing more than light exercises. But the Amazons before him were all built like Diana and they all looked like they knew how to use those muscles. _"Heck, that one has arms as big as Cy's."_ He had noted at Io.

"We did green one. But who are you to speak of our sister?" The one called Artemis says as she turns to regard him with cold eyes. While not as tall as the others, or Cyborg, but she is still taller than Beastboy.

"Easy Artemis. The green one is called Beastboy, the other is Cyborg. They lived with our sister for a number of years." Diana mentions, knowing Beastboy might say something that would irritate Artemis and get him into trouble.

"Hrmf." Artemis scowls before turning away.

"They are very distrusting of men." Diana says quietly before returning to get her own armor on, leaving both men with a feeling they weren't far from finding out if Artemis could use that two handed sword she is strapping across her back.

"If you need help getting Raven free down there, use this as a last resort." Batman says to Nightwing as he slips him a paper note. "It may or may not work on the inside, but it's worth the shot." Richard had already been equipped with the weapons and counter measures Bruce had made in case he needed to fight Etrigan or someone similar.

"Are you serious?" Richard asks as he reads the note, to him it was just lines of babble, but that meant it was a magic spell Bruce had recorded written down at some point.

"It worked for Zatanna." Batman shrugs.

"We are ready to depart." Fate says from the center of the platform, where he has been quietly speaking with Inza. Shayera remembers this room as the one Fate tried to sacrifice Solomon Grundy on when Echthultu was trying to enter their dimension, and it still pains her when she remembers what she had to do when he returned after that. "If you are ready, step into the circle." He says while motioning at a circle of softly glowing pink runes.

"Amazons, form up!" Diana commands and the group quickly march into the circle. Beastboy, Cyborg and Shayera follow after them. Batman nods at Nightwing before he moves as well.

"I expect you all to return with her." He says, to Nightwing and Diana in particular, it displays his confidence in them. Fate lifts himself into the air before activating the spell he had spent two weeks preparing and the group disappears in a flash of purple.

_Tartarus:_

"Ewww, what's that smell?" Beastboy asks while pinching his nose shut.

"Sulfur." Nightwing replies.

"It's brimstone actually." Artemis corrects as the group surveys their new surroundings; Nightwing has a sense of déjà vu, before them stretches a seemingly endless cave filled with burning pits and chasms.

"So where do we go?" Cyborg asks after noting that his GPS wasn't working, Nightwing looks at the raven on his shoulder that shakes its head.

"We are too far for it to locate her." Fate says as he glides to the ground.

"If memory serves, I believe we are somewhere in what the residents here call the Burning Wasteland. There is usually no one and nothing out here, unless someone finds a good reason to." Artemis says. "The problem is that the area is vast and I don't know where the torment cells are from here."

"Should I go and scout out the place from above?" Shayera asks.

"Yes, but keep us within sight, this place can get you lost without you knowing it." Diana says Shayera nods and takes off into the air; hovering over them for a while she turns a full circle around herself before coming back down.

"Only thing I could see is a distant light in that direction." She says and points in the direction.

"Hmm heat scanners say that the direction is definitely hotter than the rest of this place." Cyborg says, while switching his thermal scanner off.

"That would be towards the center of Tartarus." Fate mentions while forming a yellow disk for ground walkers to stand on. "Artemis, am I not correct in that the cells are near?" He asks.

"You would. But so are the residential areas." She cautions as they all step onto the platform.

"Remember, there is only one who doesn't deserve to be here. Don't heed the others." Diana cautions as they lift off and begin their journey over the Burning Wasteland. For the Amazons, the disk is a bit too small for their liking as they almost brush shoulders with the three male Titans.

"You're a hand to hand specialist?" Nightwing asks the spiky armored Penelope who doesn't turn to look at him.

"Very perceptive of you." She replies flatly, Diana had noticed the clear area of space between the two groups, as had the others.

"Sisters, I would suggest you get to know the warriors who will stand by your side in this endeavor." Diana orders getting a surprised look out of the two groups, Penelope sighs.

"Well then, I am Penelope, I am in charge of training unarmed combat." She introduces herself. "So then, who are you?" She asks Nightwing.

"I am known as Nightwing, and alongside Batman I try to defend the city of Gotham." He says.

"You are his child?" She asks; he shakes his head.

"No, he took me in after my parents died." She nods at him.

"I am Antiope, finest archer on Themyscira." Antiope says, as if it was not obvious she is an archer with the large bow and quiver of arrows she is carrying. Other than the weapons she is wearing a tight fitting leather chest armor that leaves her arms free to move and a pair of hardened leather pants on her legs with the usual sandal on her feet. "So who are you, man of armor?"

"You can call me Cyborg." He replies while crossing his arms.

"And what can you do?" She continues.

"I have sonic cannons built into my arms, and I have missile pods in my shoulders." He says, Antiope nods, dismissing the notion that she had no idea what a missile pod is.

"I am Philipus, apprentice magician. So who might you be green one?" Nightwing and Cyborg cringes internally, fearing Beastboy might try and grandstand like the Amazons are.

"I am Garfield Logan, but you can call me Beastboy, I can change into animals." He says, Nightwing and Cyborg sigh silently in relief.

"Oh what kind?" Phillpus asks.

"All kinds." Beastboy says confidently, before turning into a green bear. "All I can remember that is." He says has he sits down.

"Amusing." Artemis says. "I am Artemis, once of the Bana-Mighdall, I trained Raven in armed combat."

"And I am Io, the lowly blacksmith." Io adds with a smirk, she wasn't quite as distrusting to the group as the others but she gets an elbow in the side by Antiope for her efforts. "What? I am allowed to make fun of myself."

"Anyways, I would like to know your relation to our sister and why you accompany us." Artemis states.

"We met her eight years ago, lived in the same building and fought alongside of her for four." Nightwing replies. "To us she is a very dear friend, more like family member. And you? Why have you chosen to come?" He adds the last part to get the feeling back that it is not the Amazons in front of them that is running the show.

"Raven is our sister, in the short time we trained with her; we all came to respect her. Not only for her formidable battle prowess, but as a person; she as an outsider wanted to fight on our behalf and did not shy away when the events that made us what we are was forced upon her." Penelope says.

"And as I said, no one should be left in Tartarus because of a noble deed." Diana says as she has been listening in on the conversation.

"I think we all agree on that." Nightwing says.

As they cross over the wasteland, the light in the distance slowly becomes larger and the group ceases the small talk. Beneath them they notice a few inhabitants scurrying around on the ground, either in search of food or fighting with each other. Instinctively they all rise further into the air out of fear of discovery. They touch down again and take shelter behind a large rock when the first actual structure comes into view, after some complaining from the Amazons about hiding like cowards which is silenced with a single word from Diana.

"Artemis, do you know what that building is?" Diana asks Artemis as the two sneak a glaze around the boulder.

"Not sure, it looks like a mine." She replies, the structure is made of roughly hewn rocks and stabled in two stories with only one window on each floor where a warm yellow light is streaming out.

"You and Nightwing go scout it out; I want you back here in 2 minutes." Diana instructs, Artemis is about to complain but thinks better of it and heads off with Nightwing following right behind her with the bird having vacated his shoulder in favor of the ground.

Quickly and quietly they move to the building, which is quite a feat considering Artemis is wearing armor. Nightwing motioned to Artemis he was going to take a look at the upper window before grappling up the wall. Two minutes later, precisely, they both return to the others.

"It's a mine." Artemis says. "Saw a sheet with production quotas that needed to be met."

"There's a huge open quarry behind the building, hundreds of people working in it. Nightwing continues, he had crawled across the roof to have a look at the other side of the building.

"Any idea where we are?" Diana asks Artemis, who shakes her head.

"This is new since my time."

"Should I go grab one? Worked the last time." Shayera mentions.

"No, those down there will probably not know of new arrivals unless she attained some meaningful position." Artemis says, having heard of the winged woman's trip here.

"How do we even know they have even found her?" Cyborg asks.

"Not to doubt her abilities, but she faced one of the Titan guardians and Medusa on the other side of the gate. As much as I wanted her to best both, I doubt it." Diana explains, having fought both at separate occasions, she knows what they are capable of.

"Also the bond I shared with her was cut a week ago." Nightwing mentions.

"That could be it exceeding its range." Philipus notes.

"It felt like someone drove an icicle into my skull." Nightwing continues shooting down her theory.

"All things considered, the odds of the initial encounter and the period of time that passed before she called for aid, points to her unfortunate capture." Fate acts the voice of reason.

"Time down here passes strangely I am afraid." Artemis mentions before elaborating. "What we take as hours down here, may be weeks or seconds on the surface."

"So Rae could technically have just arrived or been here, for what? Months? Years?" Beastboy asks.

"Yes."

"I still say we try finding someone to ask." Shayera continues.

"I think so too, but we don't need direction for Raven specifically, we need the direction to the cells." Nightwing agrees.

"Makes sense, all of the laborers will have spent some time in them at some point." Diana speculates before nodding at her colleague who takes off.

A few minutes later a small, thin, hairless man with bulging red eyes is dropped on the ground in front of them. Diana quickly throws her lasso around him; he immediately gets a vacant stare in his eyes.

"A straggler, picked him off a group entering the pit." Shayera says as she lands.

"What's your name demon?" Diana asks.

"A-Aristilos." He stammers.

"Aristilos, do you know about any new comers to Tartarus?" She continues.

"I heard about someone who got Hades really angry, rumor has it she is part of the rebellion." The others look at each other in surprise at this.

"What rebellion is this?" Diana continues.

"The man called Faust broke free one day and started it, broke a lot of the damned out. I heard he sent Medusa to the Gate in an attempt to break out." Diana sighs, remembering the last time Faust was loose.

"Hmm this is grave news if Faust decides to topple Hades." Fate mentions, remembering the torment he endured while Faust ruled. "But it does give us an option of bargaining with Hades, we aid him against Faust and he might let Raven leave with us."

"No, he won't, if this Raven is the newcomer." Aritilos quips, getting everyone to stare at him.

"Why not?" Diana asks.

"I heard Hades wanted information from the newcomer, when she wouldn't give it he tried taking it from her. We don't know how, but she wounded him while he got nothing."

"Where is she?" Nightwing asks, being pretty sure only Raven could pull that off.

"The Web of Stone."

"What?!" Artemis says before grabbing the rope around Aristilos hauling him up to her eye height. "Say that again."

"He sent her to the Web of Stone, its true!" Aristilos is quite clearly scared now as she squirms around in Artemis' grip.

"Artemis what is it?" Diana asks.

"The Web of Stone is the worst place in here; it's where Hades keeps the old Titans and the worst sinners. Good thing is, I know where it is." Artemis replies before dropping the demon on the ground.

"We move, now." Diana commands before nodding to Shayera, who knocks Aristilos out with a blow from her mace. The others quickly step onto the platform again, with Beastboy and the raven taking flight on their own. During the flight they notice the huge city of dark stone beneath them.

"You sound very knowledgeable about this place." Nightwing mentions as he and Artemis stand at the front.

"Tired pretending I was Wonder Woman once, got myself killed for it, ended up living here for a period." Artemis shrugs.

"How'd you get out?"

"Dug my way out of own grave, with the Princess in tow no less." She replies matter-of-factly, Diana ignores her.

"So what can we expect when we get there?" He continues.

"I'm not sure, with a rebellion on his hands, Hades might need the usual guards elsewhere or he may have reinforced it incase Faust decided he wanted a Titan or two on his side. As for the terrain itself, it is the strangest place in here, by my reckoning. You will see why when we get there, but you all will have to know that the rules of gravity doesn't necessarily apply there."

"Do you know what Raven will be going through there?" Io asks.

"I don't know, but it's the worst this place can offer." Artemis sighs.

"Any locks or barriers we have to get through?" Nightwing asks, not wanting to think of what Raven is going through.

"The Web is made of a special kind of rock that encases those put into it; I am not sure how it works precisely. Look, those buildings and cracks down there." She says as she passes over them. "That is the regular cell blocks; better ask that bird of yours if she is down there in case the demon had it wrong." The raven swoops past the platform and flies about the area beneath them a few times before returning to them, shaking its head again.

"Not there." Antiope surmises.

"How far are we from the Web?" Philipus asks.

"Shouldn't be too far ahead." Artemis assures as they continues their journey.

"What's happening down there?" Beastboy asks in his falcon shape as they pass over an open square occupied by a large crowd gathered around a scaffold with two poles on it with a single individual tied between them.

"Nothing that's doesn't happen all the time down here. It's a public execution; whoever is cheering now may find themselves next in line." Artemis shrugs without batting an eye. "Look in the distance, those towers you see is the Web." She continues as in the distance dark structures slowly appear. As they come closer the structures grow larger and more complex as they connect with each other, forming large holes between them while growing taller and taller. Below them they reach the borders of the city; that gives way to a vast open wasteland between it and the Web. Coming ever closer they see that the first rock formations they saw are just the outer edge as more rocks appear behind the first, Beastboy catches sight of something inside of them.

"There's something big in there." Antiope agrees as she can also see it.

"Most likely Oceanus, the Titan Poseidon vanquished." Artemis says as they rise further into the air, Fate having spotted several figures moving down on the ground below them. "I hope the bird can begin to track Raven from here." The bird takes off from the platform in understanding, flying ahead of the others as they pass between two rock columns entering the Web.

"You said this place was reserved for the worst sinners and the old Titans, why would Raven end here?" Cyborg asks.

"Hades can send anyone here he pleases, and if she somehow managed to anger Hades, well he would send her here." She replies. Up ahead the raven begins cawing wildly before returning to them.

"You found her?" Nightwing asks as it lands on his shoulder, it begins bobbing its head. "Good, show us the way." The bird takes off again at an amazing speed closely followed by the others. The pass thought several of the large holes before they see the bird circling a single column, as they draw closer it caws one final time before it flies into the rock and vanishes in a flash of black.

As the group comes closer, they see a humanoid shape sticking out of the rock light brown rock. Her lower arms and legs are completely submerged in it, while the rest of her is covered in what appears to be a thin layer. What identifies the figure as Raven, is her four wide open eyes. Along with her mouth, that is wide open, giving the impression of a twisted scream, there is no doubt she is in pain. As if to emphasize the point, as they group halts before her, a loud moan seems to shake the rock and her expression changes slightly.

"This looks like a job for my mace." Shayera says as she draws the weapon back, getting halted by Fate's hand.

"Wait, no one touch the stone; I've seen its kind before." He warns before Shayera can complain, Beastboy pulls back the hand that he was reaching forwards with. "Nightwing try throwing a boomerang at it." Nightwing shrugs and pulls one out and throws it at a spot next to Raven. It dig into the surface as if it was clay, before it is covered by a thin layer of it, making it part of the structure. "It is called Soulstone on other worlds where it's also used as a prison; it latches onto whatever it touches and tries to absorb it into itself."

"Let me try." Cyborg says as he folds his left cannon out and fires a single shot, which makes a deep hole in the rock before it reforms itself into the same structure it had before.

"Why am I reminded of Clayface?" Nightwing asks.

"So how do we get her out?" Io asks.

"We cannot, not in her current condition. I am picking up many visions she is experiencing at once, I can pull her out, but she will be in the state she thinks she is in. We need to subtly convince her that she is not seeing what is real." Fate says.

"Wha…What is she seeing?" Philipus asks.

"Too much, I can dispel the majority, but you have to help. She is having visions where we appear." The group looks at each other before nodding.

"We are ready." Diana says, as Fate's eyes pulse white for a second and their world changes.


	9. Illusions

Philipus blinks at the sudden brightness she finds herself in; the world around her is completely white to her except for the two figures in front of her. Philipus clears her head as she sees Raven standing in the black leotard she wore when she arrived at Themyscira, with no hint of emotion on her face or in her eyes as she looks at the figure in front of her. Philipus gasps as she sees herself standing there with lightning crackling up her arms and a red glow in her eyes as smiling wickedly.

"You are pathetic." Her mirror image spits. "You have no place amongst us, and even less one amongst mystics!" The mirror image throws up her right arm and a lightning bolt strikes Raven, who doesn't even blink before she collapses on the ground writhing uncontrollably as the electricity plays across her body. She begins foaming at the mouth and groans in pain. "Oh don't worry, I've just begun." The Philipus image assures as she raises her other arm.

"STOP!" The real Philipus yells as she throws a ball of lightning at her counterpart, hitting her square in the chest, sending her flying and breaking the electricity playing over Raven who flops motionlessly onto the ground.

"You should have waited your turn." The image says as it gets to its feet. "Hey maybe we can share?"

"You won't touch her again!" Philipus warns as her arms begin crackling with electricity.

"Aww…" The image complains before it is torn apart by bolt of lightning sending bits and pieces of it flying everywhere before they vanish. Philipus sees the ghost of a small obese demon with orange skin before it disappears like smoke in the wind. She grunts in satisfaction as it vanishes with a screech, before turning to Raven who hasn't moved.

"Sister?" Philipus asks as she sits Raven up, resting her head in her lap. She notes that Raven has a completely vacant stare in her eyes, as if she is not seeing the world around her. "It is I, Philipus. Can you hear me?" Raven closes her eyes slowly before opening them again.

"Just do what you are here to do." Raven sighs.

"Sister?"

"You are another vision, saving me from it all only to turn on me later." Raven mumbles.

"No, no I am not, and I won't turn on you." Philipus says as she begins cradling Raven. "We are all here to save you." A single tear runs down Ravens cheek as Philipus says this.

"Dude, warn me next time." Beastboy says as he rubs his head before looking around him. "Umm guys?" He is surprised to find himself on Titans Island, with the tower behind him and the beach and bay waters in front of him along with three figures. He sees Raven crouching protectively in her cloak in a corner between two boulders. Between her and Beastboy, stands two figures both idly juggling a rock each with one hand.

"You know BB, you were right to bring me back. Even what I did can't compare to what she did." Beastboy is stunned; the speaker is Terra, his Terra. Still wearing the suit of armor Slade equipped her with. "And with that healing power of hers, we can just keep doing **this!**" She says before hurling the rock at Raven, striking her on the side of the head, causing her to collapse on the ground with a groan.

"Yeah Terra, it was good Robin came to his senses." Beastboy is stunned even further, the other speaker, is himself. "What do you think Rae, we are together and no one wants you. Heck Robin and the others left it to us to get rid of you." He says while tossing his own rock striking Raven's shoulder, she doesn't do anything other than curling up with her back to them. "Aww, I think she is sad because she has no friends. But who wanted to be friends with something like you Raven? You're always putting people down with your lame comments, but of course that could be excused if you weren't a lying monster." He continues ranting as he walks over and kicks Raven in the back, causing her to curl up even more. "Ah boo-hoo, Ter do you thing, she's no fun anymore."

As Beastboy watches, Terra has a swarm of rocks rise off the ground as his counterpart walks aside. Something clicks inside Beastboy as he realizes Terra is going to stone Raven to death. "NOOO!" He screams as he transforms into a tyrannosaurus and charges Terra, completely rage blind, Terra looks around confused just in time to see the large foot descend on her, crushing her into a footprint in the ground.

"Hey I wasn't done with that one!" The fake Beastboy complains before turning into another T-rex.

"How dare you treat her like that?!" Beastboy screams as he charges his oncoming double.

"Why shouldn't I? She is always mean to me!"

"So? Are you going to kill Cyborg for all the times he's hit you as well?" Beastboy asks as the two collide, head to head, sending the two dinosaurs stumbling back, changing into their humanoid forms.

"You know, it's an idea." The double smirks before changing into a humming bird to avoid the tiger claw that's it swiping at him. "What's it like having such friends?" He taunts as he changes into a velociraptor and pounces on the green gorilla, digging his claws into its belly as its teeth is kept at bay a lower arm. Beastboy is forced back up against one of the rocks Raven is lying at.

"The best." Beastboy replies as his other hand grabs a large rock and slams into the side of the dinosaurs head. The duplicate changes back into himself as he clutches his head.

"Dude, that hurt!" His closed eyes doesn't see the large ape blocking out the sun above him or the large stone in its hands.

"Now you know how she feels!" Beastboy spats as he brings the rock down, crushing his double under it. He stares at it for a few seconds as a small ghost with red eyes emerges through the rock before disappearing. Turning to Raven he fears he is too late, as he hasn't moved from her spot. Gently he lifts her up as he sits down, still in the shape of a gorilla; she seems so small in his arms. Slowly he pushes back her hood, revealing her empty staring eyes. "Raven? It's me Garfield."

"Just do what you're here to do." Raven sighs without looking at him. "You're just a vision…"

"No Rae, no I'm not. I'm here to save you." He says while hugging her gently, unseen by him, a tear rolls down Ravens cheek.

"Men…" Antiope sighs as she gets off the ground, grumbling about the hard landing. She finds herself on one of Themyscira's archery lanes. Looking around she finds herself looking at herself standing alone with her bow, and Raven at the other end, impaled thought her hands and feet to the large target at the far end of the range. Antiope can tell Raven is strung up so her heart is over the center. She is dressed in the white toga she was issued during her stay on Themyscira, what is happening is obvious, as Raven has besides her hands and feet, two arrows lodged in each leg and arms, and one in her shoulder.

"You know, I always thought we were missing something when we practiced, and that was the screams of the targets when we hit them." Antiopes double says as she draws and fires an arrow into Ravens other shoulder, Raven just grunts slightly but continues to hang limply. "Hmm, maybe you have screamed too much to be able to? Maybe I just need more?" As she speaks, seven Amazon archers appear besides her, each readying to fire.

The real Antiope doesn't say anything she pulls out her own bow and begins firing at the abominations in front of her. In the span of eight seconds she fires as many arrows and brings down as many of the illusions. Her own copy gurgles and stumbles as she dies slowly as an arrow goes right through her throat. Antiope doesn't wait to see the bodies evaporate as she runs to Raven.

"What have that monster done to you sister?" Antiope asks as she quickly studies the wounds, noticing the ones not pinning her to the target, are meant to hurt as they are all lodged in bones. As Raven doesn't reply Antiope notices the shallow breathing and the vacant stare in her eyes. "Sister? Hold on I'll get you down." Antiope works quickly as she breaks the arrows holding Raven in place. "This will hurt." She warns before pulling Ravens limbs over the shafts and puts her down on the ground. "Raven?" She asks as Raven doesn't seem to register the movement.

"Just…finish what you started." Raven whispers.

"Come now sister, I am real, and I can tell you those wounds you have now are not lethal." Antiope tries to sound positive.

"Matters not…soon one will be added that is."

"Maybe, but it won't be today. And by the gods it won't happen for a thousand years! And it won't be by the hand of a cheap imitation of me. Now show me the person who stood up to the Deceiver for the sake of a distrusting people." Ravens features harden a little as she sheds a single tear.

"Now I'm gonna show you how much of a big bro I am." A duplicate Cyborg says as he stands before Raven in her old attire as she is welded with uneven pieces of iron to the gurney in Cyborg's old room. He pushes her hood back to reveal her vacant face and short purple hair. "Now I made this just for you, since big brothers pull their sisters hair, I made this to slowly pull it off, along with a fair part of your skin." The copy says as she fastens a handful of her hair into a clamp next to her head.

"RAH! Get away from her!" Cyborg bellows as he shoots his doubleganger away from the gurney, slamming him into the desk and the wall behind him. Cyborg runs into the room and places himself between the copy and Raven. "Rae you all right?"

"…"

Cyborg turns around at the lack of response and takes a look into her vacant eyes, Cyborg is horrified to see this, he knows that everything Raven cannot show emotionally is always present in those purple depths, now there nothing but pain. "My god Rae, what have they done to you?!" He turns around and see's his double getting up. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!" He fires his cannon again before leaping onto the double and begins landing heavy blows onto its head." I'LL KILL YOU!" He screams as he keeps pounding and pounding until he has punched a hole in the floor surrounded by scrap metal, broken circuits and brain matter. "Freak." He huffs as he gets up from the mess, being a little surprised as the remains disappears in small puffs of smoke. Turning around he walks over to Raven and tears off the restraints cradling Raven in his arms before moving out of the room, ending up in nowhere, the world has gone completely white with nothing to break it. "Guess it's just you and me."

"You will hurt me too…" Raven whispers, it breaks Cyborg's heart.

"Huh? What? No…no won't." He says in disbelief as he sits down while holding onto her.

"You will…" Raven continues.

"No, don't say that." Cyborg replies while a tear forms in his human eye. "I'm sorry Rae I couldn't be there for you when you needed me and I swear I'm gonna get the guy who did this to you. You're my sis and I will keep you safe." He says while trying to hide his own tears from her by hugging her gently. Like him Raven never thought it was cool to be different from everyone else, unlike him she was calm about it. As about almost everything bad that happened around her, she kept totally calm about it. He had raged for weeks after his surgery before meeting the other Titans, to him she was always the strong silent one, the one he looked at when he felt bothered by his looks. The woman in his arms now is not the one he remembers, her stay here has broken her, and it has broken Victor Stone's heart. Unseen by him, tears begin rolling down Ravens face, landing on Cyborg's shoulders.

"Ow! Softer landing next time!" Io complains as she regains sight and a sore butt. "What am I doing in my forge?" She asks out loud before a crunch is heard behind her. Spinning around with her mace ready, she sees her own back standing at the foot of the gurney, raising a bloody blacksmiths hammer over her head. Io wastes no time, knowing what will happen if the hammer descends again, and leaps forward and smashed her mace into the back of the tormentors head. Death is instantaneous for the illusion and it disappears in a puff of foul smelling smoke. "Well, that took care of the baddie…Raven?" Io is wide eyed and horrified at what her mirror image had been doing; Ravens right arm and the lower half of her left leg is completely smashed, the bone beneath having been crushed with the hammer. Raven just stares at the ceiling, but Io can see she is breathing. "Raven?" Io asks again as she moves to the side of her.

"Continue where you left off…"

"An odd request to the woman who stopped it." Io replies while looking around for something to contain Raven's limbs.

"And you will turn on me, like you have before." Raven replies flatly.

"And how many times have I done that?" Io asks, figuring keeping Raven talking is taking her mind off the injuries.

"Seven."

"Well eight time's the charm." Io replies cheerfully having found a semi circular piece of metal. "Bought the whole squad of friends with me when we came looking for you."

"You always say that too…"

"Well I'm the real one, and you better believe it sister." A small drop of water rolls out of Raven's right eye, going unnoticed by Io on the left side.

"I knew it, we only went draw by pure luck!" Artemis says as her red eyes stare at the fallen figure on the ground, and the severed left arm lying a meter from the stump it used to be attached to. "And to think you lasted that long with Diana." She spits at the fallen person, who flinches as the water hits her face.

"Butchering the unarmed was never my style." The real Artemis says before her blade sings, and the abomination wearing her image is suddenly a head shorter as it is sent flying away from the body. "Now then Sister, why did you not defend yourself?" Artemis asks the fallen Raven.

"It matters not, I would lose eventually." Raven replies without looking up. "Make it fast."

"No, I won't grant you such a request." Artemis replies flatly. "You came to our home an outsider and proved even before the godswater took effect that you had what it takes to be one of us. I refuse to believe a mere amputation will stop you."

"I am a failure, I know." Raven sighs without turning her head, Artemis smirks before shaking her head.

"Do you remember what I said when you found me drunk in the alley?" She asks as she sits down next to Raven who is growing paler, Artemis know she has to convince her that the cycle of torment and death is over before it turns again.

"You said you were a horrible person."

"And you said I was just hard to like, I suppose that's true, but I have always felt I needed to prove something in front of the others. But I live by an honorable warrior code, and you brought me home after I fell asleep in the alley and didn't tell anyone. For that I owe you, this is me repaying you the way I can."

"By letting me bleed to death while talking to me?" Raven asks.

"Oh you are only dying because you think you are, because your mind tells you the injuries warrant it. But you are not, and I can prove it." Artemis says as she reaches over and grabs the severed limb. "I once spent some time down here as well, I wasn't as deep in it as you are, but the rules are the same and sometimes I got something like this you are going through now. Anyways this is the point, you think your arm is severed at the elbow and that the blood loss will kill you in a matter of minutes?" She asks while holding up the limb in front of Ravens eyes.

"You're holding my own hand in front of me? Even my constitution can't sustain that."

"So what if I do this?" Artemis asks before shoving the arm onto the stump, getting a grunt out of Raven.

"And that hurt."

"Try sitting up." Raven sighs but does as asked. "Do you feel lightheaded?" Artemis asks with a smirk.

"No." Raven replies while lifting the previously severed arm to her head. "That's new." Raven says as she notices the arm has completely re-grown leaving to trace of the injury. "How did you to that?" Artemis just blows her nails and ignores her.

"And to think I was impressed by you." Penelope says before punching Raven squarely in the face, again, the broken nose and the missing teeth tell of the pervious strikes. Raven is on the ground with the red eyed Penelope sitting on her chest, pinning Ravens biceps under her knees while she punches away at her head. "Even a man could beat you!" She continues.

"There is no honor in what you are doing; only mine has been besmirched by your imitation of me!" A voice behind the imitation says before it finds itself in a chokehold. "Now if you are anything like me, you know you can't get out now."

"Hrk!" The imitation manages as Penelope puts pressure on its windpipe.

"Be thankful I have enough honor to make it quick." She continues before a sharp crack is heard and the imitation goes limp and disappears. "Now then sister, I will claim you have looked better." Penelope says as she stands up to regard the damage.

"You will continue her work." Raven replies after swallowing some blood.

"That would be dishonorable, if I wanted to beat you, I would bid you stand and fight. Now come and stand, we all want you to come home, you have much to learn and a few things you need to teach the rest of us." Penelope says while extending a hand which Raven ignores.

"I can't, I can only teach how to fall." Raven sighs before swallowing.

"Well if that is all, we would have you teach that. But it is not, I have seen you fight and I certainly believe you can teach the rest of us something you learned from the outside world. Now take my hand, you dishonor yourself by lying on the ground like that." Penelope says while grabbing Ravens hand, a small squeeze is all she needs to pull her to her feet.

"I hate when he does that." Shayera grumbles as she gets off the red rocky ground she is on, it takes her one glaze to realize where she is, the same nightmare world Fate and Raven pulled her out of, and immediately takes to the sky. "If I was lost in hell, where would I be?" She asks out loud, while scouting out the area, a yell that sounds oddly familiar to her draws her attention. Flying over a ridge she sees Raven standing immobile, staring into nothingness while a winged figure descends on her from above with a raised mace. Shayera reacts before thinking and swoops towards to intercept, managing to get her mace between herself and Raven while the attacker strains on the other side. Shayera is surprised to come face to face with herself, only this one has burning hate filled eyes. "A little help?" She asks.

"It doesn't matter, my death here is inevitable." Raven replies without moving.

"Not while I'm around it's not!" Shayera snaps back before pushing the copy away as it's momentum is lost, it lands on its back a few feet away.

"Why…why should you care, you were the only one who still thinks I'm bad n…" Ravens complaint is broken off by a sharp slap to her cheek.

"Stop that, now!" Shayera warns while putting a finger to Ravens face, while Raven slowly puts a hand to her reddening cheek. "I may not like you, and I sure don't trust you. But your sacrifice tore the foundation away under Diana and I won't leave her like that!"

"Expected you to use the mace?" Raven replies as if she didn't hear Shayera.

"Look, I betrayed the League and Earth once and have regretted it every day since, but they let me back in, they forgave me. That's why I will fight to my dying breath to prevent another one like me to come into the League." She says before turning the power on in her mace and swings it around behind her; the mace passes through the head of her double like a cloud of smoke, evaporating the specter, before turning back. "From what I have read and heard, you know what it it's like to be the only one suspicious of a new member of a group." She tries getting Raven to focus on her by putting a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes as she speaks.

"I…do." Raven replies while Shayera notices a slight shift in the violet eyes she is looking into.

"_Poor child, to go through so much."_ Fate laments internally as he burns thought the images being forced upon Raven, while simultaneously shielding her from having new ones appear. He had started with a vision of himself presiding over a gathering of mystics who had opened a portal into a nether realm, where Trigon was waiting on the other side. While Superman and Batman were forcibly shoving Raven towards it, with a look of panic on her face. _"I will need to watch her closely in the future, incase all of this has a lasting effect on her. What did she do to deserve this?" _He asks himself as he burns through another image, one where the League was taking turns at using Raven as a punching bag. _"Good we are almost done."_ He notes the progress of the others. _"I hope she can pull through this." _Another image of the Joker with a razor is burnt to cinders, as is the Scarecrow with the gas bomb next to him.

Diana finds herself in the area she knows from her home, but all the colors are wrong and so is the audience around her. The sky is white as snow, while the sun is a black spot on it, yet everything is brightly lit. The amphitheaters walls are all a dull grey, where they are a weather beaten light brown in the real world. The audience is little more than skeletons with a thin layer of skin covering the bones, all eye sockets are completely hollow, Diana tries looking into one from the arena floor, but it's like looking into a black hole. It doesn't escape her notice that all of the audience is a mix of amazons, Leaguers and Titans. She had already spotted a mummified Superman, Batman and a version of her mother sitting on the seat of honor. The audience is imitating a real crowd as they cheer and clap, but only making dry whispers with their cheers and a sound like knocking small sticks together when they applaud. In the center of this nightmare arena, on the white sand Diana sees a malicious grinning black and white copy of herself busy with slowly strangling Raven with her lasso. Raven herself is dressed in a torn toga, the ripped midsection and the sand marks on it tell Diana is arriving at the last part of a public beating. The doubleganger is standing behind Raven, who is on her knees, with her arms cast wide while holding onto a piece of the lasso in each hand, which is wrapped several times around Raven's throat. What angers the real Diana, is the lack of fight Raven is displaying, while she is straining for air, the wheezing and harking sounds makes it clear, her arms hand limply by her side.

"I hated my mother for allowing a stray like you in!" The doubleganger spits as she tightens the rope a little, causing the noises from Raven to fade a little. "Now look what you have done to them!" She says as she hoists Raven into the air by the rope to force her to look at the audience before dropping her back onto her knees again. "And to think, I wanted more of you! I figure you spiked that wine!" The real Diana strides into the arena ignoring the comment. "Well, no more, for now you will get what you deserve, witch!"

"Raven of Themyscira! Your Princess commands you to fight this foul impersonation of me!" Diana commands in a stern voice, it is exceptional for Diana to pull rank on a fellow Amazon, but this is an exceptional circumstance.

Magala had told Diana, under four eyes, of what Raven might have to endure, and what the rescue team might have to do to break her out. It had come to Magala in a vision that Raven would be tormented by visions of those dear to her in some way. Fighting off the embodiments they would see would work, but they would need to awaken Raven's will to break her out, to do that it is best to have herself fight it off.

"Hrk!...too…strong…hnp!" Raven manages as Diana stands before her; the dark counterpart pays no heed to the person in front of her.

"You are stronger than this! It is only appears stronger because you fail to oppose it." Diana says as she crosses her arms.

"…ine…vi…ter…ble…"

"If you give up now, then you are no longer the Amazon I was so proud to welcome into our midst." Diana replies coldly. "If you will not fight, then you shame us all, but most of all you shame yourself! Mark my words Raven of Azerath, if you do not fight, then you are lost and damned to this fate, for I will not help you, if you are unwilling to help yourself!"

"…Diana…?"

"No, this is something only you can fight." Diana says before turning away and begins heading towards the nearest exit.

"…please…" Raven whispers, while tears begin welling up in her eyes, but Diana ignores her plea and keeps walking.

"What's the matter? Are you ready to beg for mercy?" The double ganger hisses, somehow noticing the change in the woman at its mercy. But it is ignored as Raven looks after the retreating Princess; Diana is halfway across the arena to the exit when something stirs inside Raven, a mix of wounded pride and fury. "What?!" The double is shocked as Raven calms her breathing, returning it to normal as if her throat was not constricted at all and stands up. Grinding wounds open along Ravens throat as she turns around to face her tormentor who wears a face of pure terror, but keeps holding onto the rope. "You're supposed to be dying at my feet!" It says in disbelief as its eyes are locked onto by death-stare Raven is sending it.

"No more." Raven says with a cracked voice while steeling her right hand, willing her fingers to be as rigid as steel, before drawing it back and shooting it forward in a motion that takes less than a second.

Diana hears a crunch and a, "HURNK!" behind her and turns to see her double with a scared and frantic expression on her face as Raven has seized its heart in her hand, still lodged in the creatures chest. The thing finally let's go of the rope as its knees begin to give away, instead trying to remain upright by holding onto Ravens shoulders, but it has no strength to hold on.

Raven stares at the creature coldly as it regards her with scared eyes and black blood beginning to leak from the side of its mouth. "M…mercy…" It pleads, with its last bit of strength it manages to hold onto the arm sticking into its chest, halting its collapse.

"Let go." Raven replies, when the thing keeps holding onto her, she leans forwards a little, forcing the creature to use more strength to keep it from slipping off the arm that still holds onto its heart, strength it doesn't have. With a final panicked expression marring its face, the double slips off Raven arm with a snapping sound as the veins connected to the heart snaps. Diana is not surprised to see the heart emerging out of the chest is shriveled and black and Raven's hand.

Richard Grayson is horrified at the sight before him; he is in Wayne Manor, in the doorway to the room Bruce gave Raven when she needed somewhere else to sleep than in the cave. The sun is shining outside, a mockery of the event taking place in the room. On the bed, is a very naked version of Richard, waering his Nightwing mask, on top of a very naked Raven, the sheets have been thrown back to let Richard have full view of it all as his double forces himself upon her. Raven's face is turned towards the door with her eyes shut and teeth clenched as the double is holding down her arms by her sides, the red mist descends over Richards eyes when he sees a tear roll down her cheeks.

"GET OFF HER!" He screams as he rushes the rapist, kicking it in the side of the chest, sending it tumbling off the other side of the bed. Richard takes a single look at Raven, who remains unmoving, before leaping over her to get at the abomination on the other side. "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!" He screams as he grapples with his double who smirks at him.

"Like you never wanted to." The double replies as they wrestle around on the floor. "I am just doing what you secretly wanted to."

"…how dare you?" Richard whispers as the double's words hits him. "HOW DARE YOU PRETEND TO BE ME?! TO BE ANYTHING LIKE ME?!" He screams as he throws a punch at the smirking face underneath him, the smirk persists even after the fist connects, sending the head snapping back into the floor.

"Come on kid, we both know you'll never have the guts to ask her." Richard blinks in confusion as the person beneath him speaks with the mechanized voice of Red-X.

"Shut up!" Richard punches again, yet the smirk remains. "That is not how I feel about her!"

"Now Robin, you shouldn't lie." This time it speaks with Slade's cold voice. "We both know you want her."

"Stop talking!" Richard aims a deliberate punch at the things nose, breaking it with a crunch.

"Take her!" Batman's voice commands, resulting in another punch.

"Stop it! Stop smiling damn you!" Richard says, the shape beneath him blurs for a second taking on a different appearance.

"I didn't even get to work on her with the knife this time." The Joker pouts as he looks up at Richard before he smiles broadly. "You should hear how much she screams." He adds before giggling in a low and dangerous voice that turns into that horrid manic laugh. This time Richard keeps punching, as he blots out image he gets at the Jokers words. When he finally stops, with aching hands and heaving for breath, the Joker is gone, but the blood on the floor is not.

Richard sits on his knees for a moment staring at the floor before a part of him tells him get up and help the real victim. He gets up and wraps the bed sheets around Ravens naked body, it doesn't surprise his detective mind that she doesn't move or otherwise notice him; "_She's in shock_." he tells himself. Carrying her out of the room, he finds himself in his own room for some reason, turning around he notes the door behind him has disappeared. Wanting to deal with only one problem at a time, he puts Raven down on his own on his own bed, making her back lean against the headboard. It's when he stands back, he notices Raven is staring off into the distance. In the past he has often looked into Raven's eyes for confirmations on how she felt about situations around her, since she rarely let it show on the surface. He could tell when she was secretly amused by the antics of Beastboy and Cyborg, how much Starfire's vocabulary sometimes confused her and how much something's really hurt her. Like Cyborg he can see her eyes reflect the tremendous pain she has been put through.

"Raven?" She shudders and closes her eyes as he speaks her name; it hurts him because he knows it is because she fears he will continue where the specter left off. He sits down on the edge of the bed near her feet with his back towards her. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." He sighs, Raven whispers something but he can't make it out. "Raven?"

"…please, don't pretend to be him…" She continues to whisper.

"Raven? It's me, Richard." He turns to face her, but she looks away with her eyes kept closed.

"…no, no you're not…just another vision…"

"Please Raven, look at me." He says while removing his mask. "Raven!" He says harshly as she refuses to turn. She does as commanded and sees his eyes looking back at her, she just closes hers again as more tears start forming.

"It can't be, I won't fall for it, not again, please…" She whispers almost silently to no one.

"It's me Rae, it really is, please believe me. We have come to bring you home." He pleads, while moving a little closer.

"How can I trust you?" She asks with a strained voice.

"Raven, please look at me." He pleads. "Look me in the eyes." She sniffs loudly once and takes a deep breath before doing as asked. Raven and Richard lock eyes for what feels like a long time, Richard tries to let his love and concern for her show through his. He can see her eyes searching harder and harder from something, while her features gradually harden.

"It's you?"

"It me Rae, it really is." The reaction is like studying a damn breaking as Raven begins crying wholeheartedly and begins fumbling to get her arms untangled to hug him, Richard moves close enough to hug her as well, ignoring the squeeze he gets.

"I was so scared." She cries into his shoulder.

"Shh, don't be afraid Rae, I will look after you." He replies while beginning to rock her back and forth.


	10. Pallas Athena

Outside the frozen form of Raven, Dr. Fate sits cross legged in mid air while he works and observes the progress of the others. It all happens at once, the tormenting visions are dispelled and Raven stirs in some way. _"It is time to return."_ He says to the others before he begins pulling them all free. He forms a shield in front of himself and a platform as the rocks in front explodes, sending fragments splattering all over the place along with nine people that end up in a pile on his platform.

"That better be a woman's hand I can feel on my leg." Antiope warns from beneath the pile.

"It's mine." Shayera replies before seeing the face of the woman on top of her. "Io, any chance you can get up?"

"No such luck I'm afraid." Io replies. "Oh, hey Diana."

"I think there is someone on top of me." Diana notes as she can feel the weight on her back.

"Cy, get off!" Beastboy complains to the mechanical man crushing him.

"Whops, sorry ladies." Cyborg says sheepishly as he picks himself up, quickly dragging Beastboy off Diana's back. And the pile slowly untangles itself.

"Why am I glad Penelope was not in that pile?" Diana mentions as the others get up.

"I'm glad for that as well sister, because that was quite amusing." Penelope smirks as she watches the group, with Philipus at her side. Nightwing, being the expert acrobat he is, had twisted in the air and landed on his feet and is already standing besides Dr. Fate who is staring at the rock in front of him.

"She's still in there?" Nightwing asks, grabbing the attention of the others, he had since put his mask back on.

"No, she is awake." Fate mentions as Ravens figure begins to move, as she tries to pull herself free. "It's safe to touch it now." Fate says, Nightwing and Diana immediately begin digging into the clay to get her free, Nightwing at the stuff hiding her legs and Diana pulling at her waist.

"Nightwing can you get hold of her legs?" Diana asks.

"Got them." He says having put his arms around behind her knees.

"Pull on three. One…two…three!" They both heave heavily; making Cyborg worry if they will get all of Raven out, with a sucking sound the three tumble back onto the platform as the rock let's go. Diana and Nightwing quickly get up to see Raven thrashing around on the ground with bound hands and feet.

"Get it off her." Cyborg says from the side as he notices Raven is suffocating due to a large clump of clay stuck to her face.

Diana quickly but gently scoops most of it off before, Dr. Fate conjures a stream of water that washes the rest away. As her mouth becomes free, Raven vomits up a fair amount of the stuff that had worked its way down into her throat.

"Ew…" Io adds at the brown puddle. Raven continues to dry heave as Diana rubs her back, while her demonic shape fades away. Nightwing has in the meantime been examining the chains around Ravens feet.

"What are these symbols?" He asks while getting his lock-picking tool out.

"Hmm, they are meant to drain and confuse the ones locked in them." Fate replies after taking a look.

"Umm, far from being the wisest around here, but considering what she has been going through. Won't Ravens powers go kinda nuts if we take them off now?" Beastboy asks, before diving behind Cyborg as the Amazons all give him a hard stare.

"He has a point." Fate adds, without appearing affected by the stares that turn in his direction.

"No Amazon is to be bound." Artemis says firmly.

"I wasn't suggesting she remain bound." Fate defends. "But she will be unintentionally dangerous being around in such a sate unless she can regain control after such an ordeal. If you will allow it, I can put her in meditative trance where she can work to calm herself. We can move her without waking her, while she is in it."

"Do it…" Raven wheezes from the ground. "Don't want to blow you all to pieces." Fate nods at her before his eyes pulse and she closes her eyes as if asleep.

"You can remove them now." He says, Nightwing quickly unlocks the chains, tossing them aside. "Stand back, I will remove the remaining stone fragments before they become active again."

Fate lets a golden glow surround Raven and the remaining muck slides off her and the others before being scooped off the platform. Revealing the tattered remains of Ravens leotard and the scarred body that was supposed to hide under it. The Titans feel sick to their stomachs, both Cyborg and Nightwing can tell many of the injuries are recent and barely healed; Beastboy's mind is reeling as he notices a bump on her head, the spot where Terra hit her. The others regard it silently, some silently thankful none of the greater wounds had followed her out.

"Whatever torment's she has endured has apparently left their marks." Fate mentions as a pale blue aura surrounds Raven and she floats a bit above ground.

"Diana, you brought her cloak?" Artemis mentions, it had not gone unnoticed amongst the amazons that Diana had kept Ravens favored clothing article with her almost constantly since finding it in her room.

"Of course." Diana replies while getting out the cloak from a pouch fastened at her back. As she fastens the material around Raven, it seems to respond to the proximity to its owner and flattens itself to float horizontally beneath her.

"Seems we have got what we came for, we should get back." Antiope mentions.

"Quite. Artemis can you direct us to the Gate or any other exit?" Fate agrees.

"Dooms Door should be in that direction if I am not mistaken, but how will we get through it?" She asks after pointing in a direction.

"It's a good point, last time me and Shayera came through while the door was being resealed after Faust went inside." Diana says. "And we had Hades' permission to leave."

"Umm, can I suggest something?" Beastboy asks, working up the courage to speak again. "We could perhaps ask the Ferryman?"

"You want to ask Charon for a ride out of here?" Artemis asks. "Hope someone brought a few coins." Nightwing slaps his forehead.

"Now I get why Batman wanted me to bring this along." He says while fishing out a pouch that jingles with the sound of coins, Diana smirks.

"He does have a plan for everything." She says.

"Maybe, but Charon's dock is almost twice the distance from here when compared to the Gate and we have to pass Cerberus to get to it." Artemis adds.

"Then we had best get going. Artemis you know the direction." Fate says as he begins moving his platform.

"That way." She says while pointing back the way they came. "Be on your guard, I'm sure Hades will have noticed us by now." They all begin keeping an eye out as they begin flying out of the Web, with Beastboy, Diana, Fate and Hawkgirl taking to the air. Cyborg keeps his eyes glues to his long ranged scanners.

They travel in silence through the Web, moving at a slower speed than when they entered, caution weighting down on them all. They are all tense, as if they all feel like they are being watched, but none of them dare say anything, as if speaking will result in springing an ambush. By Nightwing's reckoning it takes them almost 15 minutes before they see the warm glow of the city, unfortunately the city is not all that is noticed.

"Guy's we got incoming, and lots of them." Cyborg says gravely as his scanners lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Hope you men know how to fight." Penelope says while putting her helmet back on.

"We don't look like this because we think it's fun." Nightwing replies annoyed while he gets the two T-batons he carries in his boots out.

"We are going to face a horde of bloodthirsty demons and you plan to club them to death?" She continues.

"And do you expect to handle them all using just your hands?" He replies while taking a few swings.

"Quiet you two." Diana orders from up front, not wanting to deal with a fight now.

As they near the last row of rock columns Diana orders the others to hide behind it before she etches forwards to have a look around it.

"I know you are there, my child!" Hades' deep voice yells from the other side. "Come out! There is no point in hiding." He says while looking directly at Diana as she sticks her head out before retreating to the others.

"He's right, he's got an army waiting out there." She sighs as she comes within hearing range of speaking.

"So what do we do about it?" Artemis asks.

"I'm tracking groups from the main army heading around behind us." Cyborg notes.

"We have no choice; we have to meet him, unless Fate has a portal ready to take us out?" Diana replies, Fate shakes his head at the question. "We'll let's go; we might catch him in a good mood." She doesn't sound optimistic when she turns and leads the others out of the Web.

The wasteland between the Web of Stone and the city is choked by the army of demons assembled on it; the amazons aren't surprised to see it consisting mainly of the same kind of beasts they fought beneath Themyscira two weeks ago. The figurehead of the army stands head and shoulders above the rest. The group, with Diana in the lead, lands in front of him. As they land, a sickly creature steps out to confront them, it is one of the smaller ones, practically radiating the demeanor of a whipped dog.

"Great, Lord Hades wishes to know why you trespass in His realm and seek to steal from Him; His rightful property." It peeps as it looks up at Diana while rubbing its hands.

"Hades has no claim on the soul of Raven, let us pass." Diana replies, doing little to hide her distrust of the god in front of her.

"I lay claim on any soul within my realm, as you know." Hades replies as the servant shrinks back.

"By what right do you lay claim on one that is yet amongst the living?" Diana demands. Behind her, Beastboy pokes Nightwing in the ribs while pointing at Raven, who is still in the trance Fate put her in.

"No, we give her as much time as we can." Fate whispers, guessing Beastboy wanted to wake her for the extra power.

"The invader was found within my realm alongside Medusa, I credit her presence here as proof of her involvement in the rebellion I just crushed." Hades states with a small smirk of satisfaction.

"Raven shut herself inside your realm when Medusa threatened to bring Briareos into the mortal world." Diana counters; getting a chuckle out of the hell lord, Nightwing quickly hides the piece of paper Batman gave him in Ravens hand.

"An amusing story, but lies do not become the carrier of the Lasso of Truth. I am afraid you must all share the Trigonians fate." He replies and waves a hand at the group, an unseen force sends them all flying back, except Raven, who's sleeping form merely glides further back before halting. The others can't react before they all slam into the Web column behind them, trapping them all in the rock, Hades holds out his hand, commanding the rock to leave their upper bodies and faces exposed. "Now maybe I should torture you all in front of the Trigonian or her in front of you? Since you obviously care so much for it." He says while striding closer to them all.

"You keep the hell away from her!" Cyborg yells before popping open one of his shoulder pods and fires three missiles that whistle as they streak towards their target, Hades doesn't even break stride as he walks into the explosions.

"How amusing." Hades chuckles as he is almost at where Raven is floating. "The Trigonian has been such a treat to have here; I do hope you will prove equally entertaining." He says while letting a finger hover just over Ravens left arm, he has one brief contact with her shoulder, but the effect is immediate as black lightning bolt leaps into him. "ARG!" Hades withdraws his hand swiftly in surprise at the shock.

Raven opens her eyes, as the ward she set before falling into the trance makes her aware of an undesirable presence near her. The 15 minutes was far too short a session, but she had managed to regain much of her senses in that time with the help of Hemon and the others.

"You!" She says coldly as she notices Hades' armored form uncomfortably close to her; she quickly puts some space between them.

"RAVEN RUN!" Beastboy yells, drawing her attention to her friends.

"Do it sister, we will endure!" Penelope adds, Raven feels the note in her hand and reads it once quickly before crumbling it.

"No, I won't leave you to his mercy." She replies flatly while staring at Hades. "Listen to the truth Hades, Lord of Tartarus. I was not sent here as part of a rebellion, I came here willingly as the rebellion threatened the mortal world. Let us go."

"Still the same old lie, you will join the others!" Hades says sternly.

"So be it." Raven shrugs as she sends out a black blast wave from herself, sending all the nearest demons to the floor. With the demons down, Raven quickly chants what was written on the note before they can get up and grab her.

"_Dike, Goddess of Justice, hear my plea!_

_Come Dike, discern what is false and what is true!_

_Come Dike, as I leave justice, to you!"_

None of those hear the verse understands it, as it is spoken in Hellenistic Greek, but backwards. To Fate he feel an unexpected opportunity arise. As the last syllable leaves Ravens tongue a pale light appears over her that grows rapidly in its brilliance, scattering the demons who all flees the light. As the light dies down, a tall blond woman in a white dress stands before them all. She is evidently blind as she has a white piece of cloth tied over her eyes, in her right hand she carries a sword and in the left she carries a scale.

"Dike has heard your plea young one." The goddess says softly.

"Dike! You hold no sway here!" Hades bellows at his colleague.

"Silence Hades! I hold sway over all souls from the mortal realm." Dike snaps while pointing her blade at him, before facing Raven again. "Now then, the evidence shall be uncovered." She says as a pale white aura surrounds her before it spreads to all the parties, Raven remains motionless, the captives and Hades, who growls at it. The scales in Dike's hand sways a bit before one side is forced down. "I see great injustice having been committed by your hand Lord Hades, the woman before you had no part in the rebellion and neither does the party that has come to retrieve her. Justice will be served!" She says as she swings her sword at the ground, emitting a blinding flash. And the parties find themselves in a different setting.

_Elsewhere:_

Raven blinks in confusion as the fiery pit, Hades and her friends have vanished. She looks around and finds herself in a slowly turning square tunnel consisting of book racks, with the view at both ends revealing sunlight from a fine summer day and structures that reminds her of the ancient aqueducts the Romans built, only they are all in while marble and defy gravity as they adds to the tunnels length. She gets slightly nauseous as she looks down and sees she is not moving with the book cases under her feet, seemingly standing on a seemingly invisible floor.

"Don't look at the walls, makes your head dizzy." A woman's voice says behind Raven who turns around in surprise, seeing a woman with red hair fixed in a bun and a white jacket sitting at a wooden desk while writing something down on a white laptop in front of her. A large green rug stretches out from under the desk, forming a square island; there's one other person present as well as a single vacant chair. "Have a seat." The woman says as she nods at the chair, Raven walks onto the rug while studying the people present. Unlike the woman, who seems preoccupied by her laptop, while seated in an old green chair with a low back and detailed carvings in the dark wood lining the arm rests and legs, the small owl sitting on the back of her chair seems very interested in Raven as it stares at her. Behind the woman with the owl stands an old man, he would have been very tall if age had not bent his back to the degree it has. He is dressed in a brown cloak that hides most of his facial features, except for the long snake of white beard that rolls out from under it and the tip of a pointed nose. In one hand he holds a wood cane to assist his walking, and in the other an hourglass, which Raven notes has stopped running. He doesn't seem to notice her. Raven eyes the chair suspiciously, not trusting to actually sit in it. "Don't worry, it's just a chair." The seated woman adds without looking up.

"Who are you?" Raven asks.

"Ah, the old issue of trust." She continues as she closes the laptop, and looks at Raven. "Please sit and it will be made clear." Raven sits down on the edge of the seat, which seems to amuse the woman. "Now to your first question, but not the one asked; you are on Olympus, and this is my study." The woman says while waving an arm at the surroundings. "You are here, between two ticks of the clock, thanks to the one behind me, you know him by many names no doubt, but we usually call him Chronos." She says while taking a look at the old man who remains motionless. "Not much of a talker, but he has his place." She continues as she turns back. "And I am Athena." She says waiting for a reply.

"You're gods." Raven realizes, she had noticed it when she saw them, and the same with Hades and searching her memory of the other gods. They all seemed like there was much more of them than the body they presented themselves in.

"Quite so. I am one the principal deities the Amazons worship, after the All-father Zeus of course. As you know; I am the Goddess of War, Civilization and Wisdom amongst other things. The first title the mortal world, for some reason, keeps putting onto my half-brother." She grumbles the last part.

"Forgive her, she merely feels offended when hers and her brother's titles get mixed up." Chronos rasps.

"Umm, why am I here?" Raven asks, noticing Athena has begun staring off into the distance, the question bring her back her focus.

"An excellent question; you are here for two reasons Raven, the first, and to you the most selfish on our part, is that we would like to meet the one who has caught the attention of so many of the others and to let her know that we will listen to her prayers, if she does pray that is." Athena says as she leans back, unbothered by the owl jumping up on her shoulders and hoots once.

"I am afraid I have not prayed for many years." Raven replies. "As I suspect you know, the only one who ever answered was my father."

"Which is understandable. But just know if you pray from now on, we shall be listening at least." Athena continues; Raven nods at this; listening to a prayer is different than acting on it. "Anyways, you are here now, the instant before Dike transports you all to a different place than the borders surrounding the Web of Stone. I brought you here because I know Dike's sentence and that you will need help to carry it out, Dike knows you are here and that this is happening and it has gone into her calculation of the sentence. Now this is what must happen; for you, our champion and your friends to make it out of Tartarus, Hades must be incapacitated for he can and will bar your path if he is not. But as you know from bitter experience, no one can actually die in Tartarus and Hades recovers much faster than anyone else. I know of your powers of manipulating the web of emotions and I will remind you to think of that when you face Hades, for it is a powerful weapon in Tartarus. But you will need to get close to him as he guards himself from you, because of the attack you conducted on him when he entered your mind. But you will need to survive long enough to break his defenses, to do that I give you this." She says while pointing behind Raven, who turns around in the seat and sees a rack appear on the edge of the carpet, on it hangs a suit of black armor. "Fresh from the forges of Hephaestus; the Armor of Vengeance. Unknown to you mortals, Hades greatly angered Hephaestus when the broken Annihilator armor was re-forged by Hades and incorporated into his own suit, against Hephaestus' wishes. Hephaestus sought out the Oracles and was told he should wait until the Child of Destruction appeared; when you did, he immediately set to work, the result you see now." Athena explains as Raven gets up to study the suit.

The suit is full plate-mail like the armor she wore before the Door, but it is a complete set with the armored leggings and arm sections the Amazon version shuns. Where the joints are, the rigid metal pieces are linked by chainmail, making it easy to move around in. Like Penelope's armor, the armguards are each equipped with three scallops. It is evident Hephaestus is an artist as the plates are all sculpted to resemble the muscle's that they protect. The gauntlets break the pattern by detailing the bones instead and the fingers end in claws. The helmet is what catches Raven's attention the most, like the Amazon version it is made to resemble a creature that has swallowed the wearer. Unlike the Amazon version, it is not a great bird, but a version of Raven's own demonic face, complete with four eyes. The only mark of any kind is displayed prominently on the center of the chest plate, a silhouette of a volcano with three trails of smoke rising out of it. At the armor's feet lies a long scabbard with a sword in it.

"Hephaestus explained that the armor will, when inactive, add to your normal strength, durability and agility. It also offers superior protection against mundane weapons, but it will not stand up to direct hit from Hades' weapon of choice, Grond; Hammer of the Underworld, but that is Hephaestus's way of not making anything too powerful. Also it is made so it will never be cumbersome, more like a second skin really. When activated however, the armor will literally become a second skin and boost the mentioned abilities even further." Athena explains while getting out of her seat to inspect it as well, Raven senses a small degree of jealousy coming from her.

"But how do I activate it?" Raven asks as Athena comes closer, absentmindedly noting she was wearing a matching knee-long skirt with the jacket and heeled shoes.

"Simple, you change into that other guise you have while wearing it. Ah, almost forgot, the armor will make you completely immune to fire, I think you will enjoy the look Hades will give you when his breath won't affect you." Athena smirks before picking up the sword. "Now this is Shadowfury." She says while pulling the sword out of the scabbard, the blade seems to moan as it cleaves the air; Raven quickly notices the interesting feature of the four red glowing eyes on each side of the pommel that leave streaks of red behind when moved. The long blade is made to look as if it is sticking out of the mouth of a demon, with its long tongue snaking out onto the blade. "This blade was forged long before you were born, it took him much toil to make, but within it, Hephaestus trapped the essence of a great servant of your father. The blade itself will not prove a match to Hades Annihilator armor, but will cut anything else found in Tartarus. Do not be alarmed when you wield it, but it will surround itself and its wielder with flames when connected with the armor. Perhaps if you live long enough, you will master both items to a greater degree. Now let's see you with it on." Athena snaps her fingers and the armor is suddenly on Raven and Shadowfury is in her hand. The armor fits as if it was a tailored suit, but Athena is quickly pulling at various parts to make sure it all sits correctly, ignoring the flames that start to crawl from the blade and up Raven's arm.

"You're right; it does feel like a second skin." Raven admits while looking down at herself, Beastboy and Cyborg are going to freak when they see this. Her cloak is still on her, hanging over her shoulders with the hood folded back, while attached to her shoulders.

"Now you look like a warrior ready to face the world. Or the devil on his throne." Athena notes. "Now remember, no matter how much you may look it, you can't defeat Hades physically, for that you are not yet capable of, and remember what I told you. But other than that, you have the blessing of Olympus to remind Hades he is as much a prisoner of Tartarus as his servants are. You look miffed." She notes with a smirk.

"It feels odd to receive such gifts from you; I hardly believe I am worthy to draw breath…" Raven is cut off by Athena.

"Shush, you have been most worthy since the day your dread father breathed his last. Now before we send you back to your task, Apollo sends his well wishes and a gift of healing." She says before putting a glowing finger on Ravens chakra, the effect is instantaneous as Raven can feel all the wounds and scars she received in Tartarus close and disappear, along banishing the memories of their creation to a far corner of her mind.

"I will do my best to prove worth of your blessings." Raven says while lowering her gaze, while part of her mind wonders if she is just being played as a piece in a game of chess between the gods.

"We know you will, now go show him why my brother wanted to recruit you." Athena says before the sand in Chronos's hourglass begins flowing again and Raven vanishes from Olympus. "Come Chronos, lets us join the others for the spectacle that is about to unfold." Athena says as she turns to the old Titan.


	11. Judgement of Dike

_Tartarus:_

The rescue team is surprised to find themselves seated in a crumbling coliseum made of brown stone, it has evidently seen better days as one side has fallen over, littering part of the arena floor with rubble. Asides from three skeletons and a few other bones they are the only spectators. On the arena floor stands Hades in one end and the small figure of Raven with her hood up in the other and the goddess Dike in the center. The spectators are seated in front of Dike in two rows, with the Amazons in front and the others on the row behind them.

"Umm, where are we?" Beastboy asks, while looking around himself.

"One of Hades' old arenas." Artemis notes.

"Is that a sword?" Nightwing asks as he sports something in Ravens hand.

"It is, where did she get that? And that suit?" Cyborg asks as he focuses his eye zooms in on Raven, spotting the suit under her cloak.

"All is as per the wishes of Olympus." Dike says from the arena floor. "This will be decided by armed contest, as Raven of Themyscira has earned the right to avenge the atrocities heaped upon her by Lord Hades. The rules are as follows; no physical or magical interventions from the spectators are allowed or the match will be forfeited to the opposing party. As the rules of Tartarus stands, the winner will be declared when one party is unable to continue. Leaving the coliseum perimeter will be considered an act of surrender and therefore a forfeit. You may begin." She says before she disappears and reappears next to the spectators, standing with her tilting scales in an outstretched hand.

"Goddess how is this justice? She doesn't stand a chance against him here?" Penelope asks.

"She has more of a chance than you realize young Penelope, watch and you will see." Dike replies without turning. On the arena floor Hades stands immobile with his arms folded across his chest, while Raven slowly walks towards him.

"Dike has sealed your fate by the choice of battleground Trigonian." Hades mocks without moving.

"Or has she sealed yours?" Raven asks feeling strangely confident in the situation and feeling that her anger is slowly rising while at the same time hoping she wasn't fooling herself into believing she could do this.

"I am in the seat of my power, you stand no chance here. Let me demonstrate." He says as he throws a hand into the air, beneath him a piece of rock lifts him into to the air, all around the arena the ground begins to heave and break as pale limbs burst through the ground dragging the bodies after them. "Behold the fate of all heroes!" Hades laughs as the horde of zombies begin shambling towards Raven, who appears unbothered as she continues to stride towards her target.

"Hey that's not fair!" Beastboy yells from his seat. "He's breaking the rules!"

"He is not, those are the corpses of people who have fallen here, they only move because he tells them to." Diana explains. "He pulled the same trick when Faust tried to release him."

On the floor Raven draws her sword back with two hands as the first three zombies come within striking distance. The sword splits the air with a roar as it cleaves the air and the corpses in its path, the bodies tumble to the ground as the first loses its head, the second is cleaved at the chest and the last has its spine severed at the hip. Ravens sword seems to catch fire after the blow, a dark red flame appears at its tip before crawling down the length of the sword, up the pommel and onto Raven herself. The spectators have to restrain themselves from jumping into the arena as Raven's entire person is surrounded by flame and smoke, Raven herself appears unbothered by it as she continues to move forwards striking down any of the zombies that get too close to her while sending rocks the size of mailboxes hurling through the horde and at Hades. While the zombies are torn apart by the stones, Hades casually swipes aside those he doesn't just let bounce off his armor.

"What is going on here?" Artemis asks in disbelief, knowing people don't just burst into flame.

"Justice." Dike replies calmly.

"Is this all you have to offer Hades?" Raven asks without strain in her voice as she cuts down more zombies before blasting a pack to smithereens. "Don't tell me you are this useless in a fight?" She mocks as she crosses the half way mark between her initial position and Hades.

"My dear, by the end of this you will watch as I personally rip your friends apart!" He says before an orange glow appears in the slit of his helmet where is mouth is, Diana recognizes this instantly.

"Raven! Look out!" Diana shouts, but Raven ignores her, actually she picks up the pace as a stream of fire spills from Hades' helmet, incinerating all of the zombies caught in its path, while Raven dives into the sea of flame. The spectators look on in disbelief as they think Raven just shared the fate of the zombies.

The stream of fire is abruptly broken off as a sword roars out of the fire, aiming to take Hades head from his shoulders. He sees it just in time to dodge, as only the left of the curled horns adorning his helmet is severed and the helmet is twisted sideways on his head. As the fire stream is first turned before being shut off, Raven emerges completely unscratched by the attack; she waits for Hades to pull off his helmet, revealing his partially blackened face. His eyes glow with anger as he turns to face her again.

"I can smell the stench of Olympus upon you Trigonian! Does my brother mock me so?" He spits, as his right hand is pushed into a black vortex that appears around it. As he pulls it back out he drags a massive mace of black iron with it, it is covered in baleful glowing runes along the head and shaft. The head is shaped as a huge clenched fist with spikes running along the knuckles. The weapon seems to pulse with a dark aura of its own, as if it is aware of being wielded.

"That is the fabled Grond, isn't it?" Fate asks Dike.

"Indeed it is." Dike replies calmly.

"Dike, she has no chance against him when he wields that thing!" Artemis sounds close to panicking, knowing full well what that weapon is capable of.

"Hush brave Artemis, the Hammer of the Underworld is a mighty weapon indeed, but Raven of Themyscira carries a weapon of power as well." The goddess replies calmly.

"Now, Trigonian I will make you eat your words before I force your intestines down your throat!" Hades warns as he grips the mace with both hands.

"Been there, done that." Raven replies flatly, before stepping aside to avoid the overhead blow Hades aims at her, the ground cracks around the impact spot and the spectators feels it through their seats as the shockwave causes the far part of the arena to collapse. Ravens counter attack is a blurred swing that is avoided, achieving only a slash across the unarmored part of Hades' left arm. The motion has Hades dragging his mace after him as he gets some distance between the two. "Hephaestus wants his armor back by the way." Raven notes off handedly as Hades realizes his opponents weapon can actually harm him.

"The cripple can come retrieve it himself!" Hades replies angrily as he throws his left hand wide, sending Raven flying back into the wall behind her.

"Ow…" Raven says, before noticing Hades rushing her with his mace raised in one hand over his head. "Two can play that game!" She says before Hades is yanked onto his back as if his mace suddenly gained a massive amount of weight. She uses the time gained to recover her sword and leaps at the fallen god, aiming to cleave his skull. As she gets close, Hades hand races out and backhands her, sending her flying away into another part of the wall. "This is getting ridiculous." She manages before quickly sinking into the ground as Grond is hurled towards her, leaving her sword sticking out of the ground while the hammer demolishes the wall and the structure behind it, leaving more than half of the stadium in ruins.

"HA! The vermin flees, I claim victory!" Hades bellows. Unseen by him a figure rises out of the ground behind him, with her hood back and changed shape, Raven appears as black metal demon with red glowing eyes.

"Wanna bet?" She asks before landing a flying kick to Hades' back, sending him crashing into the wall.

"Is that her?" Nightwing asks, surprised at her appearance.

"Dike, what is going on here?" Diana asks equally confused.

"Nothing that has not been blessed by Olympus, Champion. Between the grains of sand running in Chronos' hourglass, Lady Athena held audience with Raven on Olympus and dressed her as you see her now. The sword and armor are gifts from Hephaestus' forge, as you have correctly guessed, specially made for her." Dike explains without turning as Raven takes several swipes at Hades, resulting only in sparks from his armor before she has to leap over him as he tries to land a right hook on her. Turning around they have another go at each other with much the same result, only Raven manages to make a wound on his already wounded arm before he lands a blow in her midsection that sends her flying back. The low is low enough for her to land on her feet, digging her right hand in to the sand to break herself

"Wretched soul, you dare lay hand on me?!" Hades fumes as he stands back up to his full height and summons his weapon from the ruins of the wall. "I will eat your heart!"

"Come and get it then." Raven replies while falling into a ready stance while her eyes locate her sword, how right behind him, Hades growls as he charges her. Raven countercharges; the two rush each other, one with his mace swinging horizontally, and the other dropping at the last moment to slide under the blow and between his legs. The slide ends with a roll that leads her into a run to get her sword, before leaping sideways out of fear Grond would be following her. But she sees he has not yet turned she takes her chance. Not waiting for him to turn she rushes him from behind; Hades however anticipates the attack and turns clockwise while swinging his mace in both hands. Ravens own attack is a mirror of his, a double handed swing aimed at Hades throat.

Time seems to slow as they lock eyes while they swing both seems to realize this is it, so does the spectators, who look on appalled as they see Raven caught inside the swing of the hammers shaft, sending her flying with a pained screech, landing near the center of the arena. Hades himself stumbles away and drops to down on one knee as his right hand moves to cover the bleeding wound that has appeared in his neck, quickly realizing it was not dangerous.

"No! Raven! Get up!" Nightwing yells as Raven doesn't get up, getting out of his seat, getting halted by Diana and Artemis from jumping into the arena. "Let go! She needs help!"

"The match is not yet over." Dike says calmly as Hades stomps over to Raven who is clutching her right arm with the left, picking her up by the throat with one hand.

"Yield now Trigonian and you first death shall be quick, relatively." He growls as he squeezes.

"I'm not finished yet." Raven hisses while wiggling around in his grasp.

"Ha! You have no weapon that can defeat me. This battle was decided before it began!" Hades laughs with a slight gurgling in his voice as he squeezes her neck.

"Oh I have one weapon Hades." Raven growls through the constricting grasp. "It's called…Tartarus." She growls as her eyes blaze with an incredible intensity as she had finally gotten the foothold she needed; Hades having in his arrogance in the face of his victory lowered his mental defenses.

"What?! No! Stay OUT!" He yells while dropping Raven in favor of clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut in pain. "NNAARRGGG!"

"Remember Hades, you are no true Lord of the Underworld; you are a prisoner here as much as anyone. Athena wanted me to remind you of this fact, and now I ask you if you can stand beneath suffering being endured in your realm, as I am." Hades realizes what this means and rushes towards her prone form as her eyes blaze even brighter with the effort.

"NOOO…!" Hades manages before he lets loose a scream that blasts the arena apart. Throughout the realm of Tartarus all activity ceases as demons stand dumbfounded, in the mortal realm, every magician and magically attuned being feels the tremors of the scream of the fallen god, on Mount Olympus the large pool of water being observed by the assemble of gods explodes like a geyser to the applauding of the observers that had mostly treated the spectacle as a sports match for their entertainment.

The observers in Tartarus pick themselves out of the rubble with ringing ears, having been partially shielded by Dike and Fate. As they help each other up, they peer into the dust clouds that surround them for any sign of the combatants. Dike apparently can't sense anything either, as she floats down from the ruined seats and begins walking towards where the combatants were last seen. With no injuries amongst them the group follows after her with a few coughing in the dust.

"Where are they?" Beastboy asks before coughing into his fist.

"Up ahead." Dike replies, as she speaks, a large shape is appears through the dust, lying on the ground. As they draw closer, the Amazons begin scowling; the shape proves to be Hades. Nightwing checks up on him, confirming there is a pulse and a frantic one, but he expected as much. Hades is curled up in a ball, his eyes are wide and staring, but he is unresponsive, and his teeth are clenched together. All together telling the group his mind is currently overloaded with whatever it was he experienced. "Justice is served." Dike notes as her scales balance themselves out. "My task is done; you will find your friend in that direction, good speed to you." Dike says before vanishing in a flash of light.

"Huh, she didn't even stay to say goodbye to Raven." Beastboy shrugs as Nightwing heads off in the direction indicated.

"Raven?" Nightwing calls as he begins spotting bricks on the ground. "Raven!" He calls again into the mist, but keeps moving. He hears something moving and swiftly heard towards the source, finding a black clawed hand sticking out of a pile of bricks that move a little on. "Over here!" he calls before beginning to removing the bricks, soon joined by the Amazons and in the span of a few seconds, Raven has been excavated.

"Is she all right?" Cyborg asks as Raven moves a bit.

"Mostly." Raven replies groggily as she opens her eyes. "Remind me not to do that again." She gets a few chuckles out of the others as she sits up and shakes her head.

"Well if we knew what you did, maybe we will." Penelope asks with a smirk.

"Uh." Raven replies while putting a hand on her head. "It's one of my least used abilities, one thing is that I am an empath, I can sense others emotions. But what I used was to projecting that empathy, where I force someone to feel something. I made him feel all the suffering going on in Tartarus that I can feel. So in short; I hit him with him with this place."

"I never knew you could do that." Nightwing says as he offers her and hand and pulls her up.

"I never use it if I can avoid it, because I get severe headaches from it as the smallest possible side effect. Also the only time I used it on Azerath I ended up with several bruises for doing so." She remembers that day well; she had tried to get one of the monks to get her some candy, and ended up getting beaten by the other monks for doing it being told that she was never to use her powers like that. "Also right now I am trying to tune out all the emotions I channeled." She explains while having her free arm tossed over Artemis' shoulder for support.

"So you really went to Olympus?" Philipus asks.

"Yeah, she pulled me out just before Dike moved us to the arena." She explains. "Phew, they are shut out now." She sighs in relief that most of the tormentors have also momentarily stopped in their tracks, making it a bit easier for her.

"So what did they do to you up there?" Beastboy asks, poking her shoulder.

"Nothing, other than curing me of the wounds I got here. Besides the headache, I'm fine…it's a suit of armor." She says as he is bold enough to actually knock on her.

"Don't look like it." He continues, Raven sighs before forcing her human side out, turning the armor back to normal.

"Better?"She asks as Io's eyes widen considerably at the sign of the volcano that appears on her chest, having disappeared with the change.

"Oh now I am jealous sister! When we get back I'm gonna knock you on the head and run off with that." Io says as she eyes the armor and the emblem it carries.

"Nice to know you care so much, sister." Raven smirk back as they move back to Fate who is taking the chance to study Hades up close.

"I suggest we make our retreat swiftly, I sense much demonic energy heading in our direction." He says. "And he will not remain down for long." He nods at Hades.

"Agreed, Artemis do you know where the dock is from here?" Diana asks.

"I'm not sure, Hades has a few these and I can't quite remember if I've visited this one." She replies as Raven lets go of her and heads off in one direction, swaying a little as she goes. "Raven? Where are you going?"

"Need to find my sword." Raven calls back as she looks from side to side, before putting two fingers to her head for a second before stretching out the left. Out of nowhere the sword comes flying back to her hand. "Found it." As she comes back, Io's jaw drops at sight of the sword as she recognizes it by its design.

"Did you get Zeus's Thunderbolt while you were up there as well? I can't believe they gave you that!" She exclaims to the wonder of the others who don't know what she is talking about. Fate, Artemis and Philipus have however sensed the tremendous power in the blade.

"Reminds me." Raven says while ignoring Io, holding out her hand something seems to fall into it a second later. "Antiope, here." She says as she walks up the archer and deposits what she had gathered into her hand.

"Hair?" Antiope asks as she looks into her palm.

"Remember you said that you thought you would hear about me bringing back Zeus' beard? Well it's not his, but it is divine." The expression on Antiope's face is priceless as she drops the beard and wipes her hand clean on her pants, knowing who it came from. The other amazons snicker along with Beastboy.

"Didn't know you were such a girl Antiope?" Penelope says with a grin as they step onto Fate's platform, Antiope just grumbles a promise about to get back at Raven.

_The Watchtower:_

"Still nothing?" Superman asks Batman, who is busy gathering information about the event all the mystics reported about an hour ago. As it is his turn, Batman is working on the League satellite while having monitor duty.

"Nothing certain, but they all agree it was not a happy feeling they had." The man replies without looking up. "I have Jason asking questions to some of the people he knows, in case they know something we don't."

"Do you think it could have something to do with Diana and the others?" Superman continues remembering how events in Tartarus could affect mages.

"Maybe, but if it is, I will take it as a good sign." Superman smirks, a maybe from Batman is worth certain guarantees from almost anyone else.

"I hope they all get back."

"They have Diana and Fate with them; she will make sure they don't leave anyone behind." Batman adds, Superman nods remaining silent for a moment as he leans his arms on the back of the empty chair before asking again.

"Can I ask why you didn't volunteer for the mission?"

"Gotham needs me more than Raven does." Bruce notes the funny look Superman is sending him. "If worst come to worst, she will need her friends more than me. You?"

"I don't do so well with magic, as you know, but I did want to be there." He sighs. "Can't imagine what she may have gone through in there."

"Same, but she is the type that understands. So how's that article coming?" Batman asks as he leans back in his seat while trying to find the pattern in the event.

"Not so well, ever since Raven was lost, I felt like I was writing her obituary whenever I decided to begin." Superman explains, after a moment of silence he decides to play the ball back to Batman. "You know, I noticed neither you nor Nightwing were the least bit surprised when Diana announced having inducted Raven? No facial ticks to convey surprise and no rise in blood pressure in either of you."

"How observant of a Kansas farm boy." Batman smirks in amusement, it was one of the things he liked about Clark; his attention to details. "We found out by accident, after she demonstrated some increased physical abilities to the Birds of Prey and to Nightwing, we asked her for a demonstration and her sleeve slipped up."

"And here I thought you used all your detective skills on her." Superman replies with a smirk, while he also appreciates Bruce's attention to details, he does appreciate the times when he admits it is not always down to skill and experience, but it's only the fewest he will admit it to.

"When Nightwing told me she lifted my bike without straining herself, I suspected, but I couldn't prove anything." Superman huffs in amusement having expected the reply.

"Did J'onn know?" Superman continues, remembering the dinner party Bruce arranged with Diana, guessing they wouldn't have been able to hide it from him.

"Yes. You couldn't see the bracelets?" Batman asks, guessing Superman had used the x-ray vision on her at one point or another, if just to find out if her skull actually grew additional sockets for the extra eyes or not.

"Her clothes are partially magic. Besides it's not like I bathe everyone I see with radiation."

"Unlike your Christmas presents." Batman smirks, getting a chuckle out of Superman.

"Well, my parents compensate for that."

"Rae you ok?" Nightwing asks in concern, noticing Raven has begun swaying a little as she stands.

"Just a little tired, it's nothing." She assures, explaining why she doesn't fly with the others.

"After a fight like that; no wonder." Penelope adds.

"Speaking of that fight; how's the arm?" Shayera asks as she flies closer to the platform, with the outbursts from the others, she had been a bit puzzled by Raven seemingly getting nothing from a hit, but she isn't sure if the shaft was as dangerous as the head. In her experience, magic could be very picky about such things.

"Sore." Raven replies, as if suddenly aware of the injury she rubs the spot where Grond struck her. "It can wait." She continues, noticing the concerned look Cyborg grows, knowing he would want to have a look and treat it if possible.

He shrugs. "Whatever you say Rae."

"I am afraid we will have to walk from here." Artemis replies from up front, having spotted what she was looking for. "We have to go through that cave down there." She says while staring at a small opening in the cavern wall in front of them. Fate guides the platform down, alongside the other flyers.

"Right, so who's the first to go down the creepy hole?" Io asks as they have landed and look into the opening, finishing her question just as Nightwing disappears into the hole. "Oi!" She hollers before jumping after him. Fate forms a glowing ball of light that hovers behind him before entering, followed by the rest with Cyborg's large frame taking up the rear.

Fate has the glowing ball float behind them all so they don't get blinded by it as they stand in the rock corridor. "So I guess this place is not just an empty cave?" Beastboy asks.

"It's a maze further down. I've heard rumors of some kind of creepy crawlies being kept down here, but I haven't seen them." Artemis says.

"So how do we find the exit?" Antiope asks at the mention.

"We walk, I came through here once, but I had an escort with me. Keep close and stay quiet!" Artemis commands before taking the lead, followed in order by; Nightwing, Antiope, Diana, Io, Raven, Cyborg, who dims his own light to save power, Beastboy, Penelope, Shayera, Philipus and Dr. Fate makes up the rear.

They walk for what feels like hours in as much silence as six heavily armored women and Cyborg can manage. Fate has the orb dim its light to so it can only just illuminate Artemis' next step, at first it results in almost total darkness for the group that relies on their eyes, but gradually they begin to see shapes in the dark. At first it is only the rough textures of the walls surrounding them, but after about an hour they feel, rather than see, themselves leave the tunnel and enter a vast cave. The floor besides them falls far into darkness, leaving them to cross the cave by a narrow path that snakes its way up and into the darkness. To their sides they can see the crooked shapes of rocks sticking out of the darkness like icebergs in a still sea.

They have just noticed the other side of the cave coming into view when the sounds of falling rocks are heard by them all, causing them all to freeze. Fate, Philipus and Raven cast glazes around them in hopes their mystic senses will pick up something. Cyborg turns to his scanners, letting them display their finding on the interface in his bionic eye. Beastboy tries turning into first a dog, where he tries to pick up a scent before turning into a bat that flaps around the group for a few seconds before he changes back.

"_Pardon the intrusion, but appears we are surrounded."_ Fate's voice sounds in their heads.

"Run!"Artemis yells. Fate's orb surges with new power, illuminating much of the cave as the group sets into a run. They don't have time to look around them to see their attackers, but they can hear them as they have also given up on sneaking around. To the group it is the sound of innumerable feet and hands making contact against stone before moving on. If they had taken the time and looked, they wouldn't see much other than a living black carpet making its way down the cave walls from above. They don't see the carpet begin leaping from the wall and onto the free standing rocks before moving on to the next or onto the rocky path behind them.

"We should stand and fight!"Shayera grumbles.

"I agree, but not in here." Artemis says.

"I suggest we keep moving."Nightwing adds. "No telling how many there are."

"Running at full speed with a horde on your heels through a maze will get you lost." Artemis replies as she is the first to exit the large cave, followed by the others.

"Hold!" Diana commands, having found what she was looking for in the smaller cave they've entered, the opening behind them will rob the horde following them of its greatest strength; its numbers. "Philipus, Anitope, Fate, Cyborg cover us! Brace yourselves!" They all move to comply, with the ranged forming a line behind the rest who are also forming a line while getting their weapons ready. Fate lets his orb float up to the ceiling so none of them can see it, but lets it light their battleground as they hear the enemy approach with howls and hisses accompanying the patter of hands and feet.

They don't have wait long before the first three pursuers leap through the opening, two getting blasted back by sonic cannon fire and one crumbling on the ground with an arrow in it chest. From what they can tell of the thing, it has a humanoid shape, with long skinny arms and legs and an equally skinny torso, like a person that has not been fed properly for a long time. The scary part about it is that it seems like the top half of its head over its nose has been torn off, leaving a clear view of the bowl where the brain should have been and the nasal cavity. They don't really have time to consider any of this before more of them piles through the opening.

At first the demons are at the ranged attacker's mercy, as the stream of firepower directed at them leaves none to reach the line of waiting fighters. Fate floats a few feet off the ground with two swirling pink and yellow plates at his hands while directing beams of light from his orb that burns neat fist sized holes into the demons. Antiope is a study in precision, each arrow she fires pierces a heart or a throat of the ones trying to avoid the blasts of Philipus and Cyborg. Philipus directs her crackling ball lightning spells at the opening, still remembering the words of Hippolyta about sending them too close to her sisters. Cyborg is trying to remain calm while cycling through four targets at once with his cannons, saving his missiles for later when he won't risk bringing the cave down on them. Raven and Nightwing join in with their own ranged attacks, Nightwing with tiny explosive spheres he usually saves for getting through walls or locked doors or birdarangs that sends a powerful electrical discharge through the target. Raven quickly exhausts the potential ammunition found in the few loose stones in the cave and resorts to use concussive blasts aimed squarely through the opening. The firepower on display leaves Beastboy, Diana, Artemis, Penelope, Shayera and Io standing either waiting anxiously and grimly, for the fight to change.

They don't have to wait long thought before Nightwing runs low on his explosives and joins them in the waiting game. For about a minute the fight seems not to notice he has stopped, but a crumbling sound announces a shift in the tide as the opening is made wider letting more demons through. Seeing this Raven immediately stops her attacks and draws her sword as the front line is engaged by the first demons. Diana, standing in the center scores the first kill in close range as a demon leaping at her is split down the center by her sword. The others soon scores their first kills as well as more demons press through. Ravens screaming sword leaves little of her opponents behind as the fire surrounding her burns her adversaries to ashes in matter of seconds. Beastboy uses the large hands of the gorilla shape he is employing to either swat his targets away or crush them, either by swatting them between his hands or by smashing them into the ground. Each of Penelope's blows crush bone or organs as she lets her Amazon strength hit the most critical parts of her opponents. Io sticks to the same strategy, only she is favoring a heavy one-handed mace that smashes anything she hits while her other hand holds a large shied that keeps her safe. Shayera lays about herself with her crackling mace, rupturing skin and smashing bone as the magic disrupting powers of the N'th metal works on the demons. Artemis swings her long sword in broad arcs in front of her, splitting several demons with each swing. Raven is slightly worried for Nightwing as the first demon reaches him, but her worry is soon dismissed as his two batons leaves each demon screeching and smoldering, her mystic senses detect some type of disruptive coating on them.

But for all their skill and valor, the tide of demons slowly increase in strength as more of the opening is chipped away by the creatures outside. Thus Philipus find herself targeted by several demons that slip past Io and Diana; quickly she redirects her magic and uses it as she strikes the demons down with electrically aided punches and kicks. Philipus' need to defend herself puts more pressure on the three others. Fate tries to cover the absence by raining small burning spheres down onto the demons, but they lack the devastating power Philipus provided with hers as it also forced the demons back out. This reduction in turn puts more pressure on the front line, the fighting soon becomes desperate for the defenders. Beastboy is the first that has to resort to his fall back strategy as he finds himself swarmed by opponents and goes down under them, only to emerge in his were-beast form a second later. Scattering his attackers, he begins rendering and tearing his opponents apart in what Raven can feel is a mix of terrified rage. As the other Titans fear, Beastboy looses himself inside the beast and breaks formation, coming dangerously close to swiping them as well. Diana and Richard have enough presence of mind to notice it is only a matter of time before they are overrun if this continues.

"Fall Back!" Diana yells, they all begin moving backwards towards the exit in the back. "Blow the roof when we are through!" Fate, Cyborg and Raven begin blasting the horde back in front of them, allowing the others to retreat to the opening, Anitope covers them at first when Cyborg pulls back, then Fate and lastly Raven.

"Someone get Beastboy back here!" Nightwing snaps, noticing the changeling still tearing away at the horde. Raven disappears before appearing besides Beastboy and vanishes with him. "Blow it!" Nightwing's command if followed by the shriek of missiles being shot through the air, Fate times it so that his sphere blows the ceiling out as three missiles strike the far wall. The resulting explosion leaves them all in complete darkness as the cave collapses on the horde trapped inside of it.

"That was the kind of fight I was expecting." Shayeara huffs in the dark, Fate lights up another sphere."Hey where's Raven and Beastboy?" She asks, noticing the two are missing, Nightwing immediately worries that they didn't get clear in time. His concern is dismissed when something roars farther down the corridor, after the echo dies down a flat voice answers it.

"Stupid." It sighs before an even louder roar follows it; an audible whimpering sound is heard after the echo fades. The group rushes in the direction of the voice, finding the transformed Raven glaring at the cowering Beastboy in front of her.

"I guess Green Bean got all primal?" Cyborg asks with a smirk at the sight.

"He was." She says flatly.

"Ok, since we are all here. Check for ammunition and injuries." Nightwing says in an authoritative tone, the Titans and Leaguers begin at once, the Amazons after a nod from Diana, all relieved they were safe, at least for a moment.

* * *

**Authors notes: **But are they in the clear yet? Is Raven really all right? And what is it about that sword of hers? Find out in the next chapter of Scars! :)

R&R


	12. Shadow of Death

After 5 minutes of rest they've confirm that there are no major injuries, but for all those who came into close combat there are a few scratches to tell of it. Even Beastboy has a few to show, when he calms down enough to change back to normal. Nightwing reminds himself that he only has five birdarangs left of the exploding kind, 2 with electrical discharges and 5 of the normal kind that he's saving in case they should get into any more trouble. Cyborg is down to 25% power, having learned from the events in Gotham, he had brought a power core with extra capacity and he's glad he did. But he doesn't have many of these larger packs, and they are expensive to make, so he usually saves and forgets about them, storing them in a closet back home. On the plus side, he still has 8 missiles left. Antiope is down to a measly 12 arrows out of the 80 she brought along for the journey. After a mouthful of water and a bit to eat, they are all prepared to move on, with Artemis taking the lead again.

Moving into the silent world once more, they lose their sense of time as the walk in near total darkness. Artemis seems right at home as she never hesitates at any of the crossroads they pass or even halts to make sure she wasn't lost in the winding caverns. They continue walking in silence, though none of them doubt the noise of the battle would have been noticed by anything living in the caverns. Beastboy is close to freaking out because of the monotony of it all, when Raven comes to his rescue.

"Can any of you hear that?" She whispers. The others strain their ears to hear, but they can't pick up anything. "I hear water flowing." She continues, noting the shrugs.

"Acheron." Artemis sighs in relief. "We are close, or your hearing is tremendous, follow me."

The group hurries after her and soon they can also hear the sound of water. At the sound they all pick up the pace even further, eager to get out of the cave. The move quickly for what they think is 15 minutes before Artemis, as the first, turns a corner and is rewarded by the sight of pale light up ahead. She halts the others before they all rush out of the cave blindly.

"We stay here, Antiope, go see if the coast is clear." She instructs, the others nod at her in agreement; Antiope has the sharpest sight and is quiet due to the lack of armor she is wearing. Anitope slips past them all and moves quietly to the opening, leaning against the wall she quickly sticks her head out and scans the outside area before coming back to the others.

"We are clear." She reports before walking back to the opening, this time followed by the others. To them it almost feels like a weight has fallen from their shoulders when they step outside of the dark cave. So much in fact that, the sight of the grey river and the surrounding misty swamp is like an oasis to a desert wanderer.

"We look terrible." Io notes when she looks at her companions before looking down herself. Besides from the wounds they received in the fight, they are all covered in a mix of the stuff the demons had for blood and some kind of black smudge that looks like oil. The substance is sticky, which Beastboy finds out the hard way when he changes into a bird and flaps uselessly around on the ground.

"Hmm, I believe that it was no ordinary darkness we have passed through." Dr. Fate says while taking off his helmet, revealing a man with deep set eyes and graying hair, to study it. They all notice that the helmet has gone free of the smudge that's covers the rest of him.

"It's something they use to weigh down souls that pass in the other direction." Artemis mentions. "It smells and gets everywhere, but strong souls aren't usually affected by it. Unfortunately, it will draw Cerberus to us and can only be removed in daylight." The others sigh; attracting the legendary guardian was not what they had hoped for.

"There's something else to this." Philipus sighs as she rubs some of the stuff between a thumb and an index finger.

"It weighs down magic." Raven finishes, she tries not to show it, but she does feel heavier.

"You feel the effect more than us?" Fate asks, remembering the conversation Raven had with Hawkgirl in the tower, she shrugs at this since she can't really tell. Fate puts on his helmet again before speaking again; "I am afraid I cannot offer transportation at this stage for the same reason." He shrugs, the others groan, not looking forwards to the walk through the swamp.

"There's nothing to it then, Artemis lead the way." Diana says while turning to the redhead.

"This way, stay close and don't drink the water here." She cautions before leading them off the solid island entrance to the cave and into the swamp.

The water isn't deep, only halfway up their tights at most, but the bottom is slippery causing a few close calls where one of them almost goes under the water. Cyborg is the most sure footed as he scans the bottom before he puts his foot down. The bottom forces the group to rearrange themselves so they all walk besides someone else in case they slip. After a round of arguing, each of the amazons end up paired next to a Titan or Leaguer. Artemis and Shayera in the front followed by the pairs of, Beastboy and Penelope, Antiope and Nightwing, Io and Cyborg, Fate and Philipus with Raven and Diana making up the rear pair.

"Think its coincidence both of us are in the lead?" Shayera whispers to Artemis.

"No. But I think we both are the most likely to jump on anything that shows up." She replies.

"So you don't like men?" Beastboy asks offhandedly to the woman next to him trying to spark a conversation.

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?"

"You are all pigs." Penelope replies, getting a shrug out of Beastboy, had he been in a mood he would have turned into one and made a joke.

"You fight well, Spawn of the Dark One." Antiope notes.

"Thank you and you are a fine shot." Nightwing replies, ignoring title she gave him.

"So how did Patriarch's World make one such as you?" Io asks, having studied Cyborg closely during the entire trip.

"I had an accident that claimed my mother, my father made me what I am today in fear of losing his kid as well."

"He did not try to save her?" Io asks, in an offended tone.

"He couldn't, he didn't have a chance to try." Cyborg replies while his voice turns more gravely.

"You are a great mage, yes?" Philipus asks the man next to her.

"Some consider me such." Fate answers. "I sense much power within you. May I ask how long you have been studying the mystic arts?"

"I have been learning for the last 150 years in the outside world, but I am far from finished." She admits. "Learning how to channel the lightning of Zeus is a long endeavor."

"Yet you can already wield it in battle." Fate notes. "It took Nabu some 200 years before he tried."

"Nabu?" Philipus asks while looking at him to clarify.

"The being that resides in my helmet, once worshipped as deity of wisdom in ancient Babylon." Fate explains.

"Oh, a colleague of Athena then?"

"Yes." Fate's mention makes Philipus feel strangely proud of herself.

"Did you mean what you said?" Raven asks Diana, referring to the situation in her mind; Diana seems to think about it for a moment before replying.

"Every word." She says quietly, wondering if Raven had somehow taken offence.

"Good, I needed to hear it." Raven replies, dismissing Diana's fear.

"How many times did it happen?" Diana continues getting a minute of silence from Raven.

"1269 times thought I breathed my last, only to wake up to face a new scenario...that's how many I can remember. But I'd rather not talk about it, not here at least." Diana nods in understanding.

"So, how was Olympus?" She asks, wanting to continue talking.

"Well I didn't see much of it, but I was in Athena's study, if you have ever been there?"

"The place with the rotating bookcase?" Diana asks, having visited Olympus a few times before.

"Yes, it made my head spin when I got there."

"Same here, it was the first time they called me up after I ventured off Themyscira. They weren't as happy back then." Diana looks almost apologetic when she says this, which Raven notices.

"Oh?" She was a bit surprised that Diana could also attract the ire of the gods.

"Well, first they told me they were displeased at how I acquired my armor. But afterwards they said I was the one they thought worthy of it, after I had been wearing it for months by that time." Diana explains.

"They were unhappy you won the right in a contest of arms?" Raven asks voicing the version she knows of how Diana became Wonder Woman.

"I won that afterwards, when my mother decided to do it properly. But before that, I stole the armor when I thought Man's world would need aid to fight off an invasion." Diana continues without batting an eye, though inwardly she hates having to mention she had resorted to stealing. "Does that surprise you?"

"It surprises me that you would resort to stealing." Diana looks somewhat downhearted at the reply. "But you did it for the right reasons."

"Do you think Batman thinks the same?" Diana asks to no one in particular, she had asked Shayera to keep the secret as such since Hippolyta chose to mention it. At first it had been pride that had prevented her from telling the truth regarding her armor and a small fear that the others wouldn't be quite as open minded about it. After the competition was held it was just more convenient to stick to the old story if asked.

"I asked him something similar after I came back to Gotham after my stay with Fate. Referring to his own situation, that all he had to do when he had doubts about himself was to remember how much worse it could have been if he had not made the choices he made. If you think about it; had you not taken the armor, the world would not have known of you or Themyscira. You would never have met Batman or any of the other Leaguers, or me for that matter. Who knows, the world may not even have existed if you chose not to take it?" Raven explains, Diana thinks about it for a moment before replying.

"You speak the truth and it has been worth it for all the hurt that followed it." She says relieved. "Thank you sister."

"You came to hell for me, it's the least I can do." Raven shrugs with a slight smile.

"Uhh guys, what is that?" Beastboy asks from up ahead while a hand points off to his right side to what he had seen. Through the mists they all see something moving; something huge with the outline of a man, but even from this distance they can all feel it is not friendly.

"By the gods…MOVE!" Artemis yells, her voice reeking in fear, before she begins moving faster through the water. The others follow her; quickly they have the shape following slowly behind them, but fail to lose it. Walking faster makes keeping their footing harder and the few slips turn into many.

"Artemis, how far?" Diana yells from the back.

"Not far, hopefully he will stay in the swamp!" Artemis yells back.

"Diana, what is that thing?" Raven asks.

"Thanatos." Diana answers shortly, Raven realizes why Artemis sounds scared, Death itself follows their trail, and she works harder to move through the marsh.

_Wayne Manor:_

"Welcome home, Master Bruce." Alfred says as he sees his employer enter the kitchen, where Alfred is beginning to prepare tonight's supper. "You look displeased?" He notes the scowl Bruce is wearing, something he only does in civilian when business wasn't going well or he had received bad news.

"Thank's Alfred, it has not been a good day." Bruce admits as he puts down his briefcase before sitting down.

"Oh? Is it the company?"

"No, still haven't heard from Richard or the others. But Zatanna has been missing for a week now but it was only reported a few hours ago when she didn't turn up for a rehearsal." Bruce sighs, if he could get away with it, he kept himself appraised with his 'real' work while at Wayne Towers.

"I am sure with the people assembled; we will get them all back. Do you have any leads on Miss Zatanna?" Alfred asks knowing what while Bruce could look and sound bored and indifferent in the office, he could still be working on clues and cases in his head.

"Nothing yet, it's like she vanished into thin air." Bruce continues while thinking.

"Do you suspect foul play? I mean with all that has happened she might just have wanted a change of scenery?" Alfred offers.

"Unlikely, but why so sudden and not tell anyone?" Bruce thinks aloud. It is a sign that he is worried; he had kept close watch on Zatanna after she was removed from the League. As a summary it was bad, she was very depressed for the first two weeks, which lead Batman to finding empty liquor bottles in her trashcan and now she is gone. Bruce admits Zantanna could very well just have left Gotham under her own volition, but he just has the feeling there is more to it than that. He makes a mental note he needs to visit her apartment tonight, but chances are the police has contaminated the scene.

"Well, I do hope she is returned safely as well." Bruce nods in agreement; he wants his old friend back as well.

_Tartarus:_

"Hurry, almost there!" Artemis yells as she plows through the water. The shadow of Thanatos has been keeping pace with them for what feels like hours, obviously in no hurry to catch up to them and has so far remained some distance behind them. Beastboy is on the verge on collapsing from exhaustion, so is Fate, who's heavy breathing is partially blocked by his helmet. Nightwing admits he is tired as well but forces himself to keep moving and not show it. For Raven this is pure agony, the smudge weights her down, she is hungry and tired beyond anything she can remember, but she keeps moving with the help from Diana. Shayera and the older Amazons also look exhausted but keep's on pushing forwards, no one is keen on meeting the shape behind them.

"Solid ground up a head!" Shayera yells, spotting yellow gravel through the fog. They all redouble their efforts to reach it. Beastboy and Raven stumble over a hidden rock just as they reach the shore, but thankfully for Beastboy, Penelope grabs his shirt and throws him onto the bank before coming ashore herself. Raven is not as fortunate as her face is submerged in the water before Diana manages to grab hold of her and haul her up on dry land. Minus Beastboy and Fate the others gather around her as Diana turns her over, revealing Raven's completely covered in black muck, the same muck that covers most of the troupe.

"Did she swallow any of it?" Artemis asks quickly, Ravens closed eyes suddenly open, revealing them to be wide eyed in panic before she turns over, away from Diana, and vomits out a thick mass of the black goo. The others to that side barely manage to jump out of the way.

"Artemis what is that?" Io asks, noticing several maggot-like creatures writhe around in the black goo.

"The water we just marched through is liquefied corpses." Artemis sighs, that was what she had been told anyways. "Here drink this." Artemis offers Raven her flask of water. "Empty it if you have to." Raven nods before gulping it all down, before sticking two fingers down her throat to get it all out again.

"It's still coming!" Antiope warns as she readies her bow, the others take a deep breath before readying themselves to face whatever is coming. As the other readies themselves, Raven struggles to get to her feet, the others having formed a line at the bank behind her.

"Those living who walk where ancient death dwells, speak thy errant!" A hollow voice booms from the misty figure, sending a freezing wind towards the group on the shore. The figure in the mist casts a shade that gives the impression of a man with wings.

"Thanatos! We came to Tartarus to retrieve one unjustly imprisoned within its walls! It is by mere chance we pass through these swamps." Fate yells back, how he got his wind back to do so, no one knows.

"Carrier of Nabu, present to me this soul!" The shadow orders as it ceases its movements, remaining a shape in the mist but nothing else, freezing the water around it. The only distinct feature they can see of it is the ice blue eyes that piece the mist. The group seems to hesitate at the order. "Now!"

"You can't have her!" Beastboy says angrily, taking a step forwards, surprising the group.

"Gar, don't." Raven says quietly as she stumbles past them and into the swamp, halting as she stands with the water to her knees. "It is me you want." The figure of Thanatos moves forwards but remains shrouded in mist to tower above Raven. The figure seems to take a long whiff of Raven as if she is a warm meal.

"You carry the stench of the suffering dead." The shade says coldly. "Yet my blade has never touched your form. Child of Doom, I stay my blade, for now." The others seem relieved, but are still tense. "Yet none may encounter death without a mark being left!" Before anyone can react at the warning, Thanatos embraces Raven in shadow before he vanishes leaving them all behind in shock, Raven wakes them all as she topples backwards, fortunately the bottom allows her head to stay clear of the water his time. Cyborg and Beastboy are the first on the scene as they drag her onto the shore again, noticing her breathing is fogging and her eyes are wide and pupils tiny.

"She cold as ice!" Diana notes after putting a palm on Raven's forehead. Raven draws a sharp breath and begins frantically look around herself, before scrambling to her feet and distances herself from the others.

"Sister?" Penelope asks, as she takes a step forwards, Raven backs away from then even further, standing at the edge of the swamp.

"Raven? What's wrong?" Nightwing asks also walking towards Raven, he gets past Penelope before he notices Ravens powers wash off her like water and stops.

"Stay away! Whatever you are, star away!" She says in a trembling voice, Nightwing and the others realize what Thanatos has done and backs away.

"Diana, we need your lasso for this." Nightwing whispers without taking his eyes off Raven, who looks like she is ready to bolt, not noticing Diana was already getting it out.

"Easy Rae, we are not going to hurt you." Cyborg tries to distract Raven by inching forwards slightly with his palms towards her, she immediately fixes her eyes on him.

"Wha?" Raven's distraction allows Diana to get an accurate throw of her lasso and pulls it taught around her. "No! NOOO!" Raven screams in panic as she begins thrashing around in the rope trying to get out or away.

"Diana, watch out!" Fate calls before grabbing the rope between the two women, letting his own lightning wander across it to counter the black crawling from Raven. Fate is struggling to maintain it. "Hurry."

"Raven, see the truth!" Diana commands, Raven blinks confused before she is hit by Fate's lightning, her own having vanished along with her panic. A sharp crack is head and Raven and Fate drops to the ground, one still tied and smoking. The others rush forwards to check on her, Artemis staying by Fate aiming her blade at his neck as he rolls over.

"She better be all right." Artemis warns.

"My apologies, but I feared Wonder Woman would have lost her grip had Raven's spell hit home." Fate says while being allowed to sit up.

"He is right sister; there was a tremendous amount of power in that spell." Philipus adds while looking over Cyborg shoulder. "Leave him."

"She's only unconscious." Nightwing says relieved.

"We will need to carry her; Charon's dock is close by." Artemis sighs while offering a hand to Fate and pulls him up.

"It seems the darkness has loosened its effect?" Shayera notes to the mage.

"Unfortunately, that took all I had I'm afraid, I suspect Ravens fear was what allowed her to overcome it temporarily." Fate says in a tired voice.

"Not to be a spoilsport, but we still haven't seen Cerberus." Io mentions.

"I'm surprised we haven't met it yet." Artemis notes.

"It will be a blessing if we can avoid it, Nightwing will you take her legs?" Diana asks as she lifts Ravens back slightly, Nightwing nods and picks up a leg in each hand, not feeling any difference than what her size should suggest.

"I'll borrow this." Io says as she reaches for the sword dangling in its scabbard slung over Raven's back. She pull at it slightly before a deep growl makes the pommel shake, causing Io to quickly put it back. "Hera, the blade's alive!"

"I thought you knew it?" Penelope asks, suppressing a giggle.

"I didn't know Hephaestus literally bound something living into it." Io exclaims as she rubs her hand as if it had been shocked. "But yeah…I've heard about a sword with its design."

"Do you think, maybe he just made it so only she can use it?" Cyborg asks as they begin walking along the dry area.

"He would have had an ancient prophecy to do it; the blade is almost as old as Olympus. I heard the legend while I was still an apprentice; after the Titans had first been vanquished, the Gods celebrated their victory for many moons. Until a stranger came to the gate, he wanted the God's submission, asking that they bow to his own master, Trigon the Unmaker. Angered at the arrogance and the demand, the gods attacked the stranger; the fight lasted for many days leaving much of already scarred Olympus in ruins before the Gods were able to strike him down. Hephaestus managed to capture the stranger's spirit and forged a blade to be his prison, fearing he would return with his master if admitted into Tartarus. And thus Shadowfury was created, but never wielded, until now." Io explains the old story.

"Could be, that it is because Raven is Trigon's daughter that the blade reacts?" Nightwing speculates.

"It's certainly possible it would recognize her." Philipus adds along with a nod from Fate, both Raven and blade shares something alike in their mystic aura's that both of them can see. "The thing inside may be hoping to be released."

"Whatever it is, we best leave it be for now." Shayera mentions.

"I agreed, although I'm sure Sister Artemis would love the challenge, unintentionally setting such a being free would be unfavorable." Antiope adds getting an amused snort out of Artemis.

"Do you think she will be ok?" Beastboy asks motioning at Raven, the others think about it for a moment before someone answers.

"I think we all want her to be, but if she wakes up in disbelief, I fear she might need aid." Shayera says, getting nods of agreement from the others, it was clear that whatever it was Olympus had done was gone now.

"So what do we do if she still thinks we are visions?" Cyborg asks. "I know we can't have Diana come around every time and throw her lasso around her."

"We just have to be there for her Vic." Nightwing replies somberly as they walk, continuing the next stretch in silence.

"Of all of the places in Tartarus, why here?!" Artemis grumbles, as the group spies the sleeping Cerberus. The gigantic hound is lying on its belly just near the docking bridge Charon uses, with an old dead tree planted near the bridge.

Cerberus looks more akin to a demon than a dog, twice as tall as any of them, has red fur on the underside; the top is covered by singed scales. Along the spine and three necks runs a trail of fire, the spaces between the closest scales to the fire are also lit up, revealing a fire burning within the powerfully built hound. The internal heat is underlined with the breathing coming out as smoke through the nostrils. The three heads all belong on different species; the central one is that of a bulldog, currently with two protruding fangs from its lower jaw and its tongue sticking out of its mouth. It is making a racket with its snoring. The one on the right shoulder resembles a retriever breed of dog, the left resembling a wolf more than a dog.

"So what now?" Io asks.

"Can we sneak past it?" Penelope asks.

"We have to get to the dock and Charon should appear, and it is most unlikely we can just walk past it, at least not with this stuff on us." Artemis replies, before sitting down with the rest of them.

"We could lure it away?" Philipus quips.

"Using?" Antiope asks.

"Artemis, do you know what specifically Cerberus is and what it's purpose is?" Nightwing asks as he drums his fingers against each other thinking about how everything magic seemed to work, despite its power and sometimes chaotic appearance, there always seemed to be rules and patterns it followed.

"Said to be one of the monstrous children of Typhon and Echidna, Hades uses him to keep the dead in Tartarus. The swine, Heracles, once dragged him to the surface as his final labor for offending a king. Why do you ask?" Nightwing smirks as Antiope as he gets up.

"Stay here, I just need to test something." He says before walking down the slope of the small hill they are sitting on towards the sleeping monster.

"Is he mad!?" Io asks seeing the man walk calmly towards the beast.

"Reckless and stupid at times, but not mad." Raven's flat voice comes from behind them. "Don't worry I'm fine." She says as the others turn towards her with worried expressions, seeing something was definitely different within her as she joins them watching Nightwing.

Nightwing slows down as he draws near the beast, etching around it and onto the gangplank. He turns around with a smirk and like a circus artist after a stunt, throws his arms up and bows to the audience.

"Did I mention cocky?" Raven continues as he runs back to them.

"Figured it doesn't actually notice the living." Nightwing explains as he reaches them. "So unless we have dead people here, we should be peachy. You ok Rae?"

"I'm fine." She says while standing a bit ungainly on her feet.

"It may sense other things than just the dead, like me and Raven." Artemis shrugs. "I have actually been dead and buried here, and Raven might set him off as well because of her extended stay."

"Guess we will just have to try." Raven shrugs.

"Nightwing pass out the coins." Diana says, Nightwing nods, handing them each two copper coins.

"He doesn't charge more?" Cyborg asks eyeing the two pieces of flat metal.

"Old tradition in Greece was to bury the dead with two coins covering their eyes to pay for the journey." Nightwing explains.

"Current tradition on Themyscira." Diana finishes.

"Ok, with the coins passed, I suggest all of you that aren't in risk of waking Cerberus go first, Raven and I will follow." The others nods to Artemis' suggestion and begin walking slowly down the slope.

"Seen it before today?" Raven asks as she is left with Artemis.

"Damn thing prevented me from reaching Charon during one of my escape attempts." She replies.

"How much of a dog is it?" Raven asks.

"As much as any I suppose." Artemis shrugs not knowing what Raven is getting at. "Well, time to see if we need to make new lodgings." She jokes before beginning the walk down, Raven following behind.

The others have passed the beast and are waiting on the ferry bridge, watching as the two women walk towards them. All goes well until they have to pass the wolf head, where they both slow down considerably as it leaves the least room between it and the river. Cerberus seems to catch their sent as the fire on its back explodes into new life and the yellow blazing eyes of the beast opens. Raven and Artemis freezes on the spot as the beast gets up quickly and begins barking into the air at nothing before remembering something and turns to face the two women. Raven can sense its emotions go from being angry to being confused, the others can tell the same as it furrows its brows before sticking its noses forwards to sniff at the pair.

"Don't." Raven quickly cautions Artemis, who is drawing her sword. "No sudden movements." She says calmly as the heads draws close to her and treats her to the sight and sound of its noses working.

"Easy for you to say." Artemis replies as the wolf sniffs her.

"It is confused." Raven replies, the wolf seems to come to a decision and growls deeply at Artemis and bares its teeth at her. Artemis jumps back and gets her sword out, the others ready themselves as well, Raven changes her form and jumps between the beast and Artemis.

"Back!" She commands in a stern voice. The beast immediately looks at her with renewed confusion before whining loudly and steps back. "She is a friend." Raven says as she takes a step towards the beast that lies down.

"Ah Raven, what is going on?" Artemis asks from behind her.

"The legend that Cerberus is the child of Typhon is wrong it seems. Shadowfury speak!" Raven commands, the sword on her back pulses before a voice like torn metal complies.

"Cerberus is my companion from when I was known as Apollyon, Herald of Trigon." The blade speaks with a metallic rasping voice; the dog looks up in recognition. "Cerberus, heed your old master one last time and defend your new mistress!" The blade falls silent again, the dog whines again.

"Uh Rae, simpler please?" Beastboy asks, not believing what he just thought he heard.

"Apollyon was the name of the being now trapped in the sword; he has been talking to me ever since I left Olympus. At first he thought I was going to take him to Trigon, so that he could be punished for failing to take Olympus. When I told him Trigon is dead, he swore fealty to me. This all happened before the match began. What he said now, is that he left Cerberus to me." Raven explains, while walking right up to the dog. "Can you become smaller? Or do we have to leave you here?" The dog woofs once with the central head before the two side heads disappear into its shrinking body, stopping at the size of a regular bulldog. "Good boy."

"But he's been here so long, how did Hades get to him?" Artemis asks following after Raven, standing just behind her in front of the small dog.

"Hades had established himself down here when Cerberus arrived, without its master; Cerberus was eventually cowed by Hades into serve him."

"Rae, are you seriously gonna keep that?" Nightwing asks, pointing at the red dog that sits on its rump.

"Why not? Don't worry, I'll put him somewhere safe when we get back." Raven replies before bending down and picks up Cerberus that begins wagging its short tail.

"And the dead? Won't they escape with him gone?" Philipus asks.

"Hades has armies of demons; maybe he will use them to something more useful other than trying to get out by the gate from now on." Raven continues.

"Well he looks cute, for a hellhound." Antiope adds, offering the dog a finger to sniff, which it does before licking it. "Ouch, hot."

"I will see if he can change more." Raven replies with a smirk as she changes back, Cerberus changes as well, losing the glowing eyes, flaming mane and the red fur, leaving a very normal looking bulldog with brown fur and white feet and deep brown eyes.

"Well shall we see if Charon will take him as well?" Cyborg asks, noticing a shadow moving across the water of Acheron. The others nod and walk over to the bridge as the shadows part to reveal a strange boat constructed of bones and skin with a tall brown-cloaked shape of a man pushing it forwards with a long oar. As he docks, the skull with the red eyes hiding under the cloak regards them all with something akin to curiosity.

"The living? Here?" He asks in a wheezing voice to himself.

"We seek passage to the mortal world Ferryman, if we pay the fare, will you take us?" Diana asks, the figure nods slowly as his craft expands to have seats for them all. He extends a hand and receives coin from them all as they board.

"Do not touch the water." Charon cautions, as he pockets the coins.

"HALT!" A fierce blast of air announces the arrival of Hades on the bridge. "They belong to me!" He growls as his human features melt away revealing the almost lizard like face underneath and he steps forwards, Cerberus growls at him from Ravens lap.

"They are amongst the living. You have no claim on those who pay the fare." Charon replies as he keeps pushing his ferry away.

"They belong to me Ferryman!" Hades growls again as he grabs the oar staring into the eyes under Charon's cloak.

"Away fallen one." Charon says calmly as he knocks Hades on the wrist holding onto his oar, as Hades pulls back with a hiss, the oar comes out of the water and is swung in a broad arc before slamming its broad head into Hades', sending him crashing onto his back. The oar quickly goes back into the water and pushes the ferry away, leaving a cursing Hades on the dock.

"I WILL GET YOU! ALL OF YOU!" Is the last they hear of him, screaming in the mists behind them before a flame shoots up into the air.

The group is silent for the first few moments, each of them thinking about what it will mean to have incurred Hades anger. With Charon standing silently at the back, the line closest to him consists of Raven's training group, the second line with Diana, Nightwing, Artemis and Raven, the front consists of Fate, Shayera, Garfield and Cyborg. Raven sits in the center with Diana and Nightwing next to her, completely motionless while Cerberus jumps down and curls up at her feet to sleep.

"Is this real?" She asks out loud to no one.

"Very real, Raven, we are leaving Tartarus behind." Diana says quietly, while slipping an arm around her. "We are going home." A single tear makes its way down Ravens cheek before she collapses against Diana, her exhaustion finally getting the best of her.

"Ferryman, can you say how long will this journey will take?" Antiope asks while turning to face the silent figure behind her.

"I cannot say, from its beginning to its end." Charon wheezes. "We cross the five rivers, Acheron the Great, Lethe of Forgetfulness, Phlegethon the Burning, Cocytus the Frozen before we ride the waters of Styx, river of Hate."

"Sounds charming." Io adds with sarcasm, riding a boat like this through a burning river doesn't really suit her. "So where do we end up in the real world?" Charon just shrugs at her.

"Wake your friend when we pass over into Lethe, you who can tell of this, should witness the worlds we pass." He says, the others shrug before arranging teams for those who should be awake while the others rested.


	13. on Legendary Waters

"Raven, wake up, there is something you need to see." Richard's voice calls to her, dragging her consciousness to the surface. She looks around groggily, noticing the black waters of Acheron has turned crystal blue and to their right is a large cave where the water flows into.

"Behold; the abode of Hypnos, god of sleep." Charon says quietly. "Within that cave he slumbers." Raven doesn't remember much more as she falls back into slumber.

_Later:_

"Rae, wake up!" Cyborg calls in alarm, Raven almost rises out of her seat half awake before seeing what has caused the alarm. The ferry is surrounded by a flow of lava, on the shores on either side stands an army of very familiar shapes.

"The Burning River passes through the Eight Pit, once abode of Trigon." Charon says while keeping the ferry in the center of the river. Along the shores stand an army of fire demons, the same sort that followed Trigon and Slade to Earth, all standing silent and unmoving.

"They were all fighting each other until one noticed us; they have been like this since." Diana says with a hint of worry on her face because of the exposed position they are in. The others appear equally concerned as weapons are kept at the ready. Amongst the army on the shores only one stands out from the rest, a massive grey skinned hulk wearing an iron helmet and holding a fearsome weapon.

"Is that who I think it is?" Nightwing asks, remembering the description. The hulk raises its weapon high as the boat draws near, Raven stands up as if knowing what is about to happen.

"HAIL THE MISTRESS!" Its raspy metallic voice bellows before it kneels, the burning army responds in kind and lowers their bodies to the ground. Raven looks at them all silently as they pass, not giving them any reply. For all they can see they remain like this before they boat passes into darkness, only illuminated by the fires around them.

"Raven?" Diana asks.

"It seems I was correct." Fate mentions. "With her father's fall; Raven is the ruler of the Eight Pit."

"No, they just think I am." Raven brushes it off before sitting down, feeling worried by the sight. "I don't want to rule anywhere, least of all in a place like this."

"It looked like a civil war of some kind was going on." Antiope mentions.

"Good, means they will stay there. For all eternity if I have my way." Raven replies.

"Guess we know why Etrigan really jumped you." Nightwing says with a smirk.

"So do we have to call you Queen or Empress now?" Artemis asks with also sporting a smirk.

"I am honored that you will call me sister or by my name, I am no ruler. And to your question Nightwing, yes, that grey guy was the Guardian Slade fought."

"My mother will have words with you when we get back." Diana mentions knowing Hippolyta and her General would want to know what kind of forces they were dealing with.

"She can have as many as she wishes." Raven replies with a slight smile, guessing they might be angry words. "She is the Queen after all."

"So Rae, what did that shadow dude do to you?" Beastboy asks after a few moments silence, Raven sighs deeply.

"It happens to be my fortune that my first kiss was to be from Death."

"He kissed you?! Why that sunnuva…" Cyborg grumbles on.

"Stole you breath away." Charon adds, the first indication he is listening to his passengers chatter.

"And the heat in my body." Raven continues matter-of-factly.

"Sister, may we ask if you feel different, he said he would leave a mark?" Philipus asks.

"Only my back itches a little, that is all." Raven shrugs. "It can just be my torn outfit under the armor." The others seem to agree to the possibility before falling into silence again. "Is it just me or has it grown colder?" Raven asks.

"No, it just dropped to below freezing." Cyborg notes, looking at the display in his arm.

"We have just passed over, into Cocytus." Charon mentions just before the breaking of ice in front of the boat is heard. They emerge out of the tunnel a few moments later, into a silent blue world of ice passing on both sides of them. The passengers note the blocks of ice on the shores all contain bodies, some fresh, others are little more than skeletons, none of them look Greek in origin judging from their suits of armor.

"Are those…Vikings?" Beastboy asks as he studies a tall blond man frozen in a charge with his axe raised in one hand while holding a round wooden shield in front of him, a battle cry frozen in his mouth.

"This is the realm of Niffleheim, home of Hel, Mistress of the unworthy dead. The one you see there, slipped on patch of ice in his village." Charon says quietly. "Had he died in battle, Odin might have taken him or Freya. But here he will remain until Ragnarök, the end of days."

"They are worthy warriors." Penelope mentions. "I wish you had been there Princess." Diana just shrugs.

"You met Vikings?" Beastboy asks in disbelief.

"Gar you seem to forget the Amazons, with few exceptions, are three thousand years old, the Vikings are only a third of that age." Nightwing mentions.

"But yes, we have. A terrible storm once brought two ships to Themyscira, bringing a hundred warriors with them, all intent on plunder. We repelled them, but they were fierce and some heeded not the wounds inflicted on them." Antiope continues, remembering almost having her head chopped off by a foaming bare-chested madman that already had two arrows lodged in his body.

"Their raiding parties reached wide, even beat Columbus to America with about 500 years." Nightwing mentions. "I take it you didn't try sending them away peacefully?" He asks knowing from Batman that the Amazons are not hospitable when it comes to armed men.

"Actually Hippolyta asked them to head back to sea, citing Themyscira was the home of the gods chosen warriors." Penelope adds.

"She unintentionally gave them the reason to attack." Shayera mentions without turning. "For a people who's version of heaven is admitted through death in battle, where will you find a better fight?"

"I did not know you had studied the Vikings?" Fate mentions.

"Part of my research into Earth before the invasion was its history. They probably thought you were Valkyries." She continues.

"Well we obliged them then." Io says. "We always wondered why they seemed so happy when they died."

"Now you know." Fate says as they journey onwards into the frozen region.

_Later:_

"What's that smell?" Shayera asks, in the darkness, it has been some time since they left the frozen lands of Niffleheim behind.

"Rotting plants." Beastboy replies.

"Styx." Charon says.

"Almost back in the real world then." Io replies happily.

"Question is, where in the real world?" Nightwing adds.

"When we reach daylight, I will transport us to where we want to go." Fate mentions.

"Treacherous daughter, is that you?" A deep voice Raven could have gone without hearing again seems to come from the water, Nightwing looks over the side and spots a familiar face.

"Trigon?" Raven asks as she stands up to have look, Trigon seems to push against the surface and a bubble of water form on the surface.

"My accursed spawn! I will have your head!" Trigon seethes from the water before surging forwards, before Charons oar descends on him and knocks his image down.

"Away unworthy one, trouble the living no more." Charon wheezes at the boiling water.

"Mark my words, daughter, you will join me here for eternity! " Trigon curses as they move on.

"Are you certain he is gone now?" Nightwing asks as Raven sits down again after Trigon sinks back into the water, seething with anger.

"He is here; there is always chance of him returning." Raven replies flatly.

"Would be a first." Charon mentions. "We have arrived." He says, as a single light appears in the distance, the passengers seem relieved and begins gathering the items they have put down in the boat, even Cerberus wakes up, having slept the whole trip away.

"Uh, Rob, is that who I think it is?" Cyborg asks as he points to a shadow standing near the light of a lantern lighting a dock.

"No way." Beastboy says as Nightwing chuckles.

"It had to be him." Shayera sighs.

"Fate are you sure, he doesn't have access to future sight?" Raven asks, getting a chuckle out of the mage.

"I won't even bother asking how you knew we would land here." Diana says with an amused smile as they dock, Batman just smirks at them all.

"I thought you said the Dark One was a mere mortal." Artemis whispers.

"Good to see you've all made it back." Batman says while looking at them all. "And Raven; good to see you again."

"Likewise." Raven says as she disembarks, lifting Cerberus onto the ground. "All are friends unless I say otherwise." Raven says to the dog, Batman quirks an unseen eyebrow under his cowl at it.

"May I enquire where we are?" Fate asks while looking up the staircase leading to the outside world.

"Follow me out and you will see." Batman says before turning and heading up the staircase.

"May your next journey with me, be long coming." Charon says as he pushes his boat away and disappears. The group heads up the stairs after Batman finding him standing at a wooden door.

"You may want to shield your eyes." Batman says before opening the door, the group is almost blinded as harsh sunlight streams through the opening before Batman moves thought it. The others follow him out, being almost blind they can only hear the sound of waves and the shuffle of feet.

"Where are we?" Diana asks.

"Do you not recognize your home?" A woman's voice asks; a voice that the Amazons instantly recognizes. "By the gods you look terrible." As the sight of the group returns, they see Hippolyta accompanied by a group of eight Amazon guards standing on a paved road with the ocean as a background.

"Mother?" Diana asks in surprise. "We are home?"

"Indeed my child, welcome home." At the sight, the feeling of warm sunlight, the smell of the ocean and the sudden awareness of her empty stomach, Raven collapses forwards, only to be caught by Diana.

"She's exhausted." Diana says as she pulls the fallen figure up.

"I think we all are." Antiope adds.

"Yeah who thought a few hours in there could take so much out of you?" Beastboy asks at his own growling stomach.

"You have been gone a week." Batman says, making Beastboy's jaw drop.

"Time moves unevenly in the other realms." Fate says, while dusting himself off.

"For the feat you have accomplished, you shall be allowed the rest desired." Hippolyta says. "Sisters, honored visitors, come with us."

Raven awakens much later, feeling something wet continuously being wiped over her nose and warm air being blown into her right eye.

"Go away Beastboy." She groans.

"That would be your dog Rae." Beastboy says, making her open the left eye, seeing the bottom of a black dog muzzle.

"You can stop now." Raven says in a tired voice, Cerberus stops; instead he curls up at her belly.

"Nice toga by the way Rae." Nightwing adds, making Raven sit up suddenly, seeing she is in a big room with several empty beds and a group of people crowding around hers. The rescue team is all cleaned up, but all sporting some scratches and bandages from their journey, she notices Diana in her normal uniform holding a hand near her lasso. She looks down herself to see she is dressed in a green chiton, her wounds have been cleaned and her right arm is in a cast.

"Ugh, what happened?" She sighs as the dull pain in her arm begins to register for her.

"Well, you have been out for the better part of two days now before we decided to wake you. And the arm wasn't just sore, it was snapped in two." Antiope says with a smirk.

"The armor was the only thing that kept it in place." Io mentions.

"How do you feel?" Diana asks, as she lets her hand drift away from the lasso.

"Tired, hungry and dried out." Raven replies while swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, quickly finding a black gloved hand offering her help. "How do you do that?" She asks Batman while taking his hand, remembering the surprise that he was waiting for them, he just smirks at her.

"We are all under royal orders not to leave the island until Queen Hippolyta has the entire story laid to her." Penelope says. "But we are also under orders to rest before we tell her at dinner tonight, since you chose today to wake up."

"Well, I'm not staying in a bed till then." Raven says, noticing the look Cyborg is sending her. "And I am going to eat something before that."

"Well we figured that, but these men are under orders not to leave the palace either." Artemis adds. "But we have permission to use the park here."

"I don't know about you, but I really want to see the sun right about now." Ravens admission, gets a round of smirks before they all head out to said park.

"Aren't you two baking under those?" Raven asks as she sits down next to Batman and Fate who are sitting on a bench in the afternoon shade of the surrounding palace. Penelope and Artemis are busy wrestling with each other, with the others cheering at them. Cerberus follows her to the bench, like he has followed her every step since leaving Tartarus.

"Not moving helps." Batman says, the tickle of sweat running down his exposed cheek tells how hot he really is. Fate has had enough sense to remove his helmet. "What's with the dog?" Fate opens his eyes slightly as he has been meditating most of the time, but he had alerted Batman to his concerns about Raven.

"Well, you will probably see it, but he sorta got passed onto me before we left with Charon. Seems an old legend was a bit misplaced." She explains.

"You're skipping the question." He notes.

"True enough; this is Cerberus, now former guardian of Tartarus." She nudges the dog with a mental command and the hound responds with by changing into a small version of its real form.

"I hope he's house broken." Batman says before removing a glove to let the demon catch his sent.

"If not, I will make it a priority to make him so." Raven replies. "So how did you know we would be where we where?" He just smirks and leans back, taking off the other glove. "No fair." She grumbles mockingly, as a cheer comes from the group as a victor has been found; Penelope. "Do you know what happed to the other stuff I brought with me?" She asks.

"As Io said she would, she has been studying both armor and sword since it was removed." Fate says as he opens his eyes fully. "The sword mostly its pommel, since it growled at her again when she tried puling it free. She seems quiet envious about them both."

"Any smith would be, considering the creator." Batman adds.

"Anything left of my leotard?"

"Only scraps were left of it, but Nightwing was quick enough to mention you'd want them back." Batman says. "When did you get a tattoo?"

"Tattoo?" Raven asks while raises an eyebrow at him.

"Bird on your lower back, Diana mentioned seeing it when they removed your armor." Ravens eyes grow wide thinking of what he is meaning.

"That bastard!" Raven fumes as her eyes glow red, Cerberus jumps up ready to act if needed. The others notice as well.

"Everything ok?" Cyborg asks, Raven takes a deep breath and calms herself.

"Anyone got a mirror I can borrow?" She replies.

"I got one in my chambers." Diana says while getting up.

"Stay here." Raven says to the dog before following Diana.

"Looks good on you." Diana says as Raven studies the bird with the spread wings on her lower back, standing almost naked in front of the large mirror.

"Except I never had it made." Raven sighs. "This is what Thanatos left me with."

"Think Dr. Fate and Magala should have a look at you in case he left anything more." Diana says.

"You're right, if I ever get a second kiss, I would hope he didn't give me poisoned lips." Raven sighs, noticing Diana searing her with her eyes. "What?"

"What happened to all the wounds you had when we pulled you free?" She asks. "All the other ones we could date to after we pulled you out."

"Athena said it was a gift from Apollo." Raven replies as she gets dressed again. "Along with pushing the memories into the back of my mind. Queen Hippolyta intends to use the pool tonight I take it?" She continues wanting to talk about something else, which Diana notes fearing more and more that Thanatos really had undone Apollo's boon.

"_If he ever meant to completely mend her."_ Diana reminds herself before answering. "Yes, she wants our version of how we found you before she will have you show your part." Diana says before seeing the discomfort on Raven's face. "You fear this?"

"Yes, I fear the reactions it might provoke if you all saw what happened to me and what you had to do." Raven says quietly, while Diana thinks it is more because of herself not wanting to be reminded of it.

"Don't, Bruce will understand, as for your friends you will have to ask them." Diana replies. "Come, we should go find the Doctor and Magala."

"I just don't want to ruin a dinner arranged by your mother." Ravens admittance gets a smirk out of Diana, who aims to speak to her mother in hopes of convincing her that the pool might not be the best idea.

_Later that evening:_

"Now then travelers as I have been asked, what we might see, may be quite upsetting and therefore, the dinner will be held afterwards." Hippolyta commands from her seat, as the group stands before her, with Batman standing respectfully at the back. "As the Dark One foretold your return I have allowed him to witness this, as he pleaded a sense of need to be here." This quirks a few eyebrows, the sentence containing Batman and pleading does not mix. "Diana, if you will begin." The Queen asks as they all take up prepared seats around the pool, with all the men clumped together at one side.

Diana closes her eyes as she stand and holds out her hand over the pool, the pool responds as it replays the events before they found Raven from Diana's point of view. "This is what happened up until we found Raven in the Web of Stone, what happens next is what happened while we worked to wake Raven from the illusions." She says as Raven's frozen form is displayed on in the pool, the image changes with the flash coming from Dr. Fate revealing Diana's encounter, earning her a collection of strange looks from the others at how she handled it. Only difference is that the pretender of Diana has an almost transparent demonic shape surrounding it.

"Do not be angry with her, she said words I needed to hear so badly in my hour of need. You all did, even if you may not have seen it." Raven says quietly as the vision ends with her pulling out the heart of the pretender.

"Very well, Shayera if you please." Hippolyta asks the winged woman, this time the weird expressions come when Shayera slaps Raven, but they say nothing. They continue like this, in order after Shayera, Fate, Beastboy, Cyborg, Io, Antiope, Penelope and Artemis, leaving Nightwing and Raven as the last.

"Nightwing?" Hippolyta asks, noticing the man hesitate.

"I am sorry Your Highness, but what I saw should really only be seen once."

"Nightwing." Batman says from besides him, Nightwing sighs before holding his hand out, closing his eyes behind his mask. The gasps tell him enough of the reactions. When it is over, he slowly lowers his hand and looks up.

"If you will excuse me, I need some air." He says before Hippolyta nods at him with a grim face, Nightwing walks slowly first before he can be heard running in the direction of the gardens.

"I will get him." Batman says as he gets up and heads after his adoptive son.

"I see we will need a break." Hippolyta says before waving over a servant with a pitcher with water in it.

The others use the time to get some color back into their faces, the last image had been very disturbing, when the two men return after fifteen minutes, Raven is the only one remaining grim. Neither of the two speaks as they sit down again, Nightwing clearly still emotionally shaken.

"What has been shown so far has been vile, but I fear what is to come will dwarf it. Raven, if you will show us the rest of the journey." Hippolyta asks, almost timidly.

"Queen Hippolyta is correct, what you may see, will prove very disturbing." Raven says as she holds out her uninjured left hand. At first they see the final stage of the battle before the Gate from Raven's point of view, the sight of the injured Diana and the mad rush through the Gate with Medusa and the sight of Briareos' turning to stone. Raven thanks the makes as the torments she endured, is played mostly in fast forwards and in a chaotic jumble, slowing down only when Hades himself appears, but her empathic senses tell her several of those around her are battling with keeping their stomachs under their control. Eventually Beastboy and Philipus loose that fight and have to make for the gardens. As the others enter the visions she lets her hand down. "Now you know why I did not believe you were real when you appeared." She says before extending her hand again, showing the events that Raven experienced afterwards. The meeting on Olympus, the fight with Hades and the flight from Tartarus, she lets her hand down as Batman appears on the shores of Styx. She looks around at the others, all looking green. Besides from Fate who has his helmet on and Batman who seems to be carved in stone, Raven can sense Nightwing is a torrent of emotions, most of them bad, like rage, shame and disgust.

"We felt the Gates tremble when Hades was struck down. But what happened?" Hippolyta asks.

"I am an empath as you know, but I can also project emotions. I never use this because of the personal consequences it involves, but I forced Hades to stand beneath all of the suffering in Tartarus. Grey-eyed Athena instructed me that it was the only way to pacify him for any length of time."

"What consequences?" Batman asks.

"Princess, please use you lasso so that he might know I speak the truth in this matter." Raven says before feeling the lasso encircle her wrist. "If I force someone to experience an emotion, I get severe headaches and I remain open to the emotions I channel like this, which in turn will make my powers spiral out of control if the link remains open for too long. When I did it there, I exhausted myself by reaching for so much, it meant I could close my mind again before it turned dangerous after I was done." Batman stares at her as she explains, before asking something himself.

"Am I Bruce Wayne?" His question surprises those who know, Raven grinds her teeth as the lasso begins to work on her. He jaw muscles tenses themselves as she fights it. "Raven, am I Bruce Wayne?" Batman asks quietly, adding more pressure to Raven who drops to one knee while her skin begins to smoke.

"You are." She says with a strained voice, the lasso's magic lets go at once and Raven heaves in a mouthful of air. "And now I have betrayed an old promise." She sighs.

"But how?" Diana asks in amazement.

"Last time was a question of formulation." Shayera mentions. "You didn't ask a yes or no question."

"Yet she resisted the direct question, it changes little." Hippolyta notes, wondering if she should be upset at the man, but leaves it be as Diana does nothing.

"You…you are Bruce Wayne?" Beastboy asks in disbelief, Batman just nods before peeling back his cowl.

"Then that means Rob is…?" Cyborg asks the man next to the Bat.

"My name is Richard Grayson." Nightwing confirms without removing his mask. "But why?" He asks as he turns to Bruce.

"I needed to know she was not resisting the Lasso like she was last time." He replies shortly, Raven just nods at him. "Forgive me, but I needed to know if you have been forcing us to like you or not."

"I know and I take no offence." Raven replies, while sitting down again after removing the Lasso.

"So the dark one has a name and a face?" Artemis whispers to Diana who rolls her eyes.

"And the hound, is that really Cerberus?" Hippolyta asks pointing at the dog that seems very interested in its own reflection in the pool.

"It is you Highness. Cerberus, change." The dog looks up at the command and changes into the form it showed to Batman before turning back.

"And the armies in the Depths?" She continues.

"Are mine to command, if I had any wish to." Raven replies shortly.

"You do not?" She asks.

"I do not my Queen; I am no leader or ruler. All I wanted since the day my father was banished was to live like a person, with friends, a family one day perhaps and a place to call home, not be an overlord dictating the lives of others." Raven says almost pleadingly.

"I believe you child and you will always have a home here." Hippolyta says with a warm smile. "Now then Bruce Wayne, how did you foresee their arrival?" Batman smiles slightly before extending a hand.

The pool grows black before the silent image of the Bat-cave comes into view from the staircase, as the image moves to the large screened computer; the image is cast to the ceiling spotting the many bats nesting there. Pushing a few keys, they computer springs into life, showing a file marked 'Zatanna' before it is pulled down and another file is opened. A large map of the world springs into life, displaying many colored dots before most of them disappears, leaving just one that seems to travel at an incredible speed, crossing continents in seconds. A few more commands are pressed, lines are drawn on the map, ending with a big yellow one hovering over Themyscira. At this Batman lowers his hand.

"I picked up Nightwing's signal from a communication device he carries a few hours before I came here. I had set my computer to alert me when it returned; when it was picked, up I calculated when and where the signal would stop moving."

"Clever." Artemis notes.

"So, why partition for your presence here today?" Hippolyta asks Batman.

"I opened my home to Raven when she appeared in Gotham, over a period of time I myself and those close me have come to care for her and I wished to be here when she returned." Bruce explains.

"I see a noble gesture form one of Patriarch's World. All of this leaves just one article, the armaments." Hippolyta says as the suit and sword are moved in behind them by two guards as it is still on the rack.

"Fine pieces of work, are they not?" The deep voice of a man surprises them all as a large, bald, man with purple skin, pointed teeth, red eyes and strange hands that appear to be made of molten lava limps into view from behind Hippolyta's throne. He is wearing a brown apron over his otherwise bare body asides from the green shorts and his sandals and the supports for his legs, he smiles at the group, unheeding of the warriors rushing into the room with drawn weapons. He is carrying a large sack over his shoulder. Behind him two other figures follow behind him; Athena, dressed as Raven met her and a man who could have been a marble statue that has come to life. He has curly blond hair and a calm expression on his handsome face as he follows the troll-man.

"Guards, stand down!" Hippolyta commands quickly before moving to meet the arrivals. "I bid the Gods welcome to Themyscira." She greets before lowering her gaze at the trio.

"No need to humble yourself great Queen, it is after all us who are the visitors." Athena says as a small owl flies into the room and lands on her shoulder. The three nod at her in respect.

"But what brings you here?" Hippolyta asks.

"You wished to know about the armor and its construction, Hephaestus is here to explain his work. Apollo is here to offer his healing hand for those who desire it, and I am here to congratulate you all on a job well done." Athena answers with a smile.

"Brother would you be so kind?" Hephaestus asks, noticing the cast on Ravens arm.

"Of course." Apollo says as he steps forwards, revealing him to be wearing a long white toga that leaves the left side of his chest visible, in his right hand he is carrying a silver rod with a serpent wrapped around it. "Please approach me child." He continues in a pleasant voice.

"Oh no, last time someone asked her to come close to him, she got a kiss and a tattoo!" Cyborg says as he jumps in between the deity and the group. Apollo halts and looks at Cyborg questioningly before answering, noticing the worried looks the Amazons are casting at the metal man.

"Really? I assure you I mean no harm." He says.

"Which god would this be?" Athena asks, genuinely surprised.

"You don't know?" Diana asks out loud, when Athena shakes her head she continues. "We were pursued by Thanatos on the banks of Acheron. When he caught up to us, he demanded to see the one we retrieved. Before he left, he stole a kiss and left a mark on Raven."

"You are fortunate to still be with us then." Apollo says. "But, may I approach you?" He asks over Cyborg's head.

"You may." Raven replies while walking past Cyborg while putting a hand on his shoulder, to stand before Apollo.

"Ah yes, I can see it now. It hinders your own healing abilities, does it not?" Raven thinks for a moment, it had been out of sheer exhaustion she has yet to attempt using it before now.

"It does." Apollo smiles slightly at her.

"Worry not, it shall be nullified." He says, while placing a golden glowing hand on her head, getting gasp out of Raven. After he retrieves his hand, the cast cracks and splinters, leaving Raven with fully healed arm.

"Now then, Hephaestus?" Athena asks, as Raven suddenly finds herself fully armored again with the sword on her back.

"As Diana will know, I once constructed the Annihilator armor as per the wishes of Ares for the use in his wars. As the flaw in it was discovered and used, it fell into mortal hands. Faust tricked his onetime apprentice to allow his spirit to possess it, nullifying the armors vulnerability. As you know, he took it to Tartarus in search of Hades. When that business was concluded and the armor destroyed by the mace the fierce one wields, I asked Hades to have the pieces returned. Much to my ire, he decided to keep them, going to far as using them as part of his own suit. My work had been misused and debased, and I wanted vengeance, but I knew not how to get it. So I visited Apollo's oracles who bid me wait for the day the Child of Destruction would be revealed in the mortal realm. So I waited and watched, until you" He says while looking Raven in the eyes. "engaged Ares on this very island. I learned all I could of you before I set about my work, culminating in the armor you wear now. When I saw you, I knew at once the weapon that should come to you, as the only mortal soul Apollyon will heed and allow to be wielded by. And now, thanks to you, I have the remains of the Annihilator back." He says with a smile as he puts down the bag and opens it, revealing many metal fragments inside of it.

"And Hades has been reminded of his fate." Athena continues. "Now then, Queen Hippolyta, we would be honored if we may join you for the meal you've had your cooks prepare?" Hippolyta again seems surprised at the request but answers quickly.

"Of course." At her acknowledgment several guards race out of the room to reappear a few moments later with an extra table, dishes and utensils, adding it to the already long table present. "Dinner will be served shortly."

"Splendid. Philipus and…Beastboy?" Apollo asks while looking at the two in question. "Your upset stomachs shall not be left unattended for this." The pair feels their woes fall from them, leaving only a memory of being sick.

"And you, Raven, need not worry that we would have you dine while dressed for war." Athena says before the armor is returned to its rack.


	14. Reality Broken

The dinner proves to be excellent, presenting the diners with the best Hippolyta's chefs could present, and several of them come to the table when presenting the meals. The Titans are relieved that Beastboy settles with only declining the meat offered him, instead of starting to ramble on and on about animal rights. When noticed, Beastboy told them that Mento had been stern about the mix of protests and formal dinners was not wanted. Raven was secretly happy that only the gods were offered wine, Hippolyta, no doubt, had no intention to display a group of drunken amazons to outsiders. Instead they all had their separate pitcher with water; Raven recognized that hers was godswater. The three gods proved to be quite eager to hold conversations with all of them, with stories being swapped freely. Hephaestus and Io were those who held the longest conversations due to their shared passion, culminating in Io giving him a tour of the armory to show off her work. He also held longer conversations with Cyborg and Batman, asking them about their own work more than telling about his own. Apollo in turn visited them all and healed those he talked to, removing the cuts and bruises acquired by the group. He had been a bit confused when he tried to heal Cyborg. Unknown to Batman and Fate he removed a few 'inconveniences' old age would be bringing them in a few years time. But out of all of them, he held the longest conversations with Antiope and Raven, due to his status as the deity of archery and poetry. Athena spread her time equally, but taking particular interest in the outsiders, being seemingly impressed by their feats in the outside world. When the dinner drew to a close, the deities asked to have a moment with Raven in private, the small audience is held in the armory. Athena and Hephaestus have insisted on her wearing the armor again.

"Hmm, the left arm guard is a little loose." Hephaestus notes, Raven guesses only he would be able to tell, because she certainly couldn't.

"Be that as it may, it is not moving around on its own." Athena continues, a polite cough from Apollo makes her change subject. "But this is not the purpose of this meeting."

"So what is the purpose?" Raven asks.

"We can sense your doubt, Raven, you do not believe you have truly escaped Tatarus." Apollo says with a hint of sadness, Raven sighs and looks at her feet and wonders if the wheel was about to turn again.

"I have endured torments too numerous to mention with words, often at the hands of those I would call family or friends. Always I thought it was the last time, but each time the wheel turned again and I was again tortured to death." She mumbles.

"At first it was just your own belief that was enough, when that was betrayed once too many, you demanded proof and that was a lie as well." Athena continues.

"Yes." Raven whispers.

"Do you believe we are a part of this as well?" Apollo asks.

"Yes. The wheel will turn again when I think I am safe." Raven shrugs.

"Alas, brother Apollo cannot force the truth upon you, only diminish the impacts of the lies." Hephaestus sighs.

"At this time we can only assure you the nightmare is truly over." Apollo continues.

"We know you are strong Raven of Themyscira and you will realize all of this is real, even if you do not believe it to be." Athena finishes.

"82 times I have been assured of this Pallas Athena, 81 times I have been beaten, humiliated, violated and left to die in misery." Raven says, while tears starts to run down her cheeks, the three gods look away, knowing the details and knowing Raven was coming apart in front of them.

"Yet this is the one that matters, child, we will not ask Morpheus for his blessing again, since you will decline it." Apollo says. "But I will bless you with the knowledge you sought before your trials in Tartarus and the clarity to know the truth of the world." Apollo smiles sadly at her before his otherwise blue eyes gain a golden glow; Raven feels a small nudge in her head but thinks nothing of it.

"We can't fight this for you Raven, but I know you will endure." Athena says letting on a slight smile as well.

"At least for tonight, rest well Raven." Apollo finishes before his eyes glow again, this time making Raven fall into a deep sleep before he transports her to her room.

The three deities return to the rest of the company to announce their departure and that Raven had retired to her room.

"She was upset." Batman states, while looking at the three, knowing that they must have noticed more than he had.

"I am afraid Raven still believes we are all part of Tartarus' illusions." Apollo sighs sadly, the Amazons immediately look alarmed.

"Blessed Apollo will you explain this?" Diana asks, looking worried.

"As you all saw, many of the horrors she endured, came at the hands of images of yourselves. Each time she had finally believed herself saved and each time her belief was abused. She began testing the reality around her after a certain point, even the Lasso of Truth was imitated in this and other ways was used to make her believe." He explains.

"So now she is afraid to believe the truth in fear that her torments will begin again." Artemis surmises.

"Indeed, as you suspect, the truth can't be forced upon her, but she will have to believe." Athena continues. "And I am sorry to say that come morning, she will be quite different."

"So how do we do that?" Beastboy asks.

"We cannot say Garfield Logan; time will tell if she ever will again." Athena says before the three vanish in a flash of light and the sound of thunder, the group stands dumbfounded.

"I thought she believed…" Nightwing whispers.

"She will." Batman says firmly. "But she will need our help to do so." He says as he regards them all.

"You got a plan, let's hear it." Cyborg demands.

"What will she need?" Artemis asks.

"She will need time and someone besides us to talk to." Batman replies. "We all mean well, but as you heard, it is us she is afraid of."

"You want her to talk to a psychiatrist." Nightwing says flatly.

"I am open to other suggestions, but at the moment, it is the best we can do for her. I am not saying it will do it alone, but it may help her realize what is true." Batman continues.

"You and I both know we are the last people who should suggest this to her." Nightwing continues with a cold voice, Beastboy and Cyborg can tell he is furious.

"I believe Bruce Wayne is correct in this matter." Hippolyta sighs. "We here do not possess the means to mend a mind and our community is too small for her to distance herself from my daughter and the rest of you."

"But mother…"

"Silence Diana! Sister Raven has undergone torments we have only seen brief glimpses of. She needs help, help that we cannot provide." Hippolyta cuts through, her tone indicating she will broke no argument. "She will return to Man's World in hopes of treatment, but we wish to be informed of any progress if any is to be found." Batman nods at the command.

"One word of caution, if she comes to any harm, she will not be the only Amazon in Gotham." Artemis says sternly, the others nod grimly, except Diana, who seems torn.

"Agreed." Batman shrugs.

"You will leave tomorrow when she awakens, good night." Hippolyta says before leaving the room, the others drift away one by one, each one knowing how awkward it feels to end the night like this.

The last to leave is Diana, who stares into space for a few moments before flying out between the columns. Flying over the city, she heads over to Ravens room, hovering outside the window. Looking inside, she finds Raven asleep on her bed, still dressed and on top of the sheets. Compassion makes Diana fly inside and gently covers Raven with the blankets before heading out. Rising into the air, she senses a presence behind her and spins around with a raised fist, coming eye to eye with Batman before he dodges the blow.

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

"Same as you." He replies. "You think I am wrong." He notes.

"No, I want you to be wrong for once." Diana says. "I think she needs to be where people care for her, not shipped off to someone who will bend her mind!"

"We care for her, but before you accuse me of being indifferent about her, I will ask if you have looked into her eyes since you retrieved her? I have, and I could see she is scared and not just of me, but of everyone here."

"It could just be you." Diana states flatly, but a part of her was agreeing with him, there was almost no life in Raven's eyes now.

"Nightwing also noticed she was trying to sink into her seat while we were at the pool."

"And the journey out of Tartarus and the time afterwards?!" Diana asks getting increasingly annoyed.

"She is playing along; she is just waiting for us to turn on her."

"You weren't there to see her fight Hades!" She continues.

"What better way for him to fool her than to fake his own defeat at her hands?" Batman asks the fuming princess. "The Thanatos incident, it didn't strike you odd she walked so calmly to him, knowing what he is?"

"We don't know what she knows of him, but yes, if she did I do find it disturbing. Why do you think she did it?" She says after a moment of thinking.

"I suspect she expected to die and that running was only prolonging the inevitable. That he didn't, only fuel's her suspicion that this is all a cruel game orchestrated by Hades." Batman explains.

"She will be suicidal; she will need someone to watch over her!" Diana realizes, her anger disappearing being replaced by worry.

"We will, you have my word on that." Batman continues.

"But how? If she is scared of you and Richard?" Diana asks.

"In all of the visions where her friends and allies turned on her, they were Amazons, Leaguers or Titans. Not once did I see Alfred or the Birds of Prey, I believe she can see them without unnecessary agitation."

"And the treatment you mentioned, I hope by the Gods you don't mean Arkham." She says while crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, the Joker and Scarecrow were both frequent illusions. But Arkham was never on my mind for her. Did you know Clark has been seeing a psychiatrist in Metropolis?" He asks.

"What? Really? Why?" Diana is genuinely surprised at this.

"He told me it was because of his actions when he was brainwashed by Darkseid, incidentally the same psychiatrist once provided a rough evaluation of Raven for a newspaper." Bruce says with a slight smile, knowing the same psychiatrist had other Leaguers on her bench as well, Diana sighs.

"So Oracle is moving to Metropolis?"

"She has an office there and Clark has been grumbling about something happening at LexCorp that she's been asked to look into, but no one knows what exactly. If Raven is capable of it, she might be able to help them."

"Ok, but I expect you to be the one who breaks this to her." Batman nods at her in agreement.

Raven awakens in the morning, feeling well rested but with no memory of how she came to her room or how her armor ended here. Almost zombie like, she dismisses the notion. After almost tripping over Cerberus, who was sleeping on her doorstep, she makes her way to the palace, she doesn't know why, but she feels like she should go there. Arriving in the throne room without being questioned by the guards, she finds the rescue team and Batman along with Hippolyta waiting for her; she mentally steels herself and keeps walking before bowing to the Queen.

"Good, you are awake sister." Hippoyta greets. "Your help has been requested in the outside world, help you will provide. But also, you will receive the help you yourself need there." Raven nods at her wordlessly before saluting her with a fist over her heart. The others note that she is not acting like herself, she would not argue with an order, but she is not even batting an eye or asking what mission it may be. "Strangers, your part in this has been much appreciated, but it is time for you to return to your world."

"Come back to us sister." Anitope says grimly to Raven who just nods with a vacant stare in her eyes.

"Stand close." Fate says to the group going with him, consisting of the Leagues with Diana, Titans and Raven with Cerberus who has been following her. The group nods at the Amazon Queen and the group before they vanish in a light purple ankh.

"The dark one is right, she is a shell." Philipus sighs.

"My Queen, is really wise to send her into Man's brutish world?" Penelope asks.

"We cannot help her here sister, out there she has a better chance." Hippolyta sighs.

"But why them?" Io asks.

"It won't be them; the Dark One explained his intentions to me before you arrived. He has contacts to a group of female warriors that he insisted on was not part of the visions we all saw, sister Raven will be joining them for a time while seeking the treatment she needs in a city far from his own." Hippolyta explains.

"Seeing her like that makes me wish we had killed Hades when we had the chance." Artemis growls.

"He was defeated in honorable combat, do not loose you honor Artemis." Hippolyta warns, getting a sigh from the redhead.

_The Watchtower:_

"Hey Diana, Shayera welcome back, did you get her? Where is she?" Flash races up to the two women arriving on the platform.

"Not now Wally, we need the others gathered." Shayera replies flatly, causing the fastest man alive to freeze in surprise.

"On it." He replies after a second and races off, five minutes later the fulltime founders are gathered in the secret meeting room. They all look concerned at the two scowling women.

"So?" John asks, Diana sighs before beginning.

"We retrieved her successfully, but she has been subjected to a lot of torment in Tartarus. Hades had his servants cook up innumerable horrors for her to endure, most of them happened at the hands of people she knows. I saw myself strangling the life out of her and the others found their own counterparts committing similar atrocities on her."

"She saw us hurt her?" J'onn asks.

"She saw, felt, experienced us kill and maim her in every possible way." Shayera says flatly.

"We learned that many of these events happened after she was fed illusions of being rescued." Diana continues. "The strain has fractured her mind, right now she is scared of every one of us, fearing that she is walking in another illusion."

"Wait, so she thinks she is still in Hell?" Flash asks.

"Yes." Diana and Shayera say's simultaneously.

"And she resists your lasso?" Superman asks.

"The Lasso was impersonated in the illusions as well, using it on her will not help except momentarily. Bruce has arranged for her to seek treatment at a psychiatrist in Metropolis while staying at the Birds of Prey who will be looking into the LexCorp matter." Diana replies. "He noticed that they did not figure in any of the abuse she was subjected to, he believes she will be calmer around them than she can be around the rest of us."

"Less important question, would you know anything of the mystical 'quake' that rattled all the mystics?" John asks after a minute of awkward silence.

"That could have been Raven when she hit Hades with Tartarus." Shayera shrugs.

"Come again?" John asks.

"She basically let the fiend feel all the suffering in Tartarus." Diana continues. "Look, we will fill a file on the trip later, but I for one have other matters to attend to right now. And Clark, stay away from her unless she needs help." Diana warns the man of steel.

"I will, but can I ask why she would fear me?" He asks.

"Two instances atleast, you were impersonated while she was slowly being crushed to paste in your arms and another where you burnt her to death." Shayera says, Superman stares wide eyed at her.

_Express Delivery, Gotham:_

"Bruce, explain it to me again." Barbara asks the man on the screen before her.

"Three weeks ago, Raven locked herself inside Tartarus to prevent a primordial giant from escaping. One week ago, a team went in to retrieve her. While successful, Raven's mind is strained to the breaking point. She believes she is still in Tartarus and only one step away from another round of whatever Tartarus cooked up for her, when around the League, Titans and the Amazons. She needs help so I want her to see someone in Metropolis who may be able to help her." Batman explains.

"Bruce, if she is mentally unstable, she could prove incredibly dangerous to have around. Both physically and for the mission."

"She won't be when around you. You are the only people she might act with any degree of normality around, while being within easy reach."

"I am going on a hell of a leap of faith in this, but ok, but I need to know exactly what she can do and how unstable she is if I need to work with her." Barbara sighs.

"I cannot say how bad it is when we are not around, but you can add forced empathy, swordsmanship and a note that she has a dog; Cerberus."

"Cute." Barbara notes while typing. "Is it housebroken?"

"It follows her every command." Batman replies, one of the first things Raven had done when arriving at Wayne Manor was to order it to do its thing in the woods outside the manor, and the dog had raced off.

"So what am I going to tell the girls?" She asks.

"The truth, tell them Raven is unstable, possibly suicidal. I leave it to you to decide if she is capable of helping you in the field or not."

"Suicidal?!" Barbara blurts. "How long has she been like that? How many attempts?!"

"One, possibly two. They encountered the ancient Greek personification of Death while making their exodus; they were pursued by it through a swamp, before Raven calmly approached it when it asked for her." Bruce explains, Barbara sighs again.

"So she is possibly at risk while alone and if something dangerous shows up she might just get in its way."

"As I said, I leave it to you to decide if she can help you or not."

"Next thing you will tell me is that she is half dead or something." Barbara complains.

"No, that Cerberus is the mythological guardian of Tartarus." Batman replies flatly, Oracle just stares at him through the screen. "Turns out it is one of Trigon's demons." Batman shrugs.

"Ok ladies, seems we will have company on our little Metropolis trip." Oracle calls into the gym, getting the groups attention.

"Say what?" Huntress asks as she drops Lady Blackhawk on the ground, releasing her from the headlock she was in.

"Who?" Dinah asks.

"Raven." Barbara replies shortly.

"They found her?" Dinah asks, getting stares from the others.

"You knew?" Barbara asks in surprise.

"That she was lost in Hell? And that Wonder Woman went in after her? Yes, Green Lantern let it slip to Ollie."

"She was what?!" Manhunter interrupts.

"Lost in Tartarus? Yes. Batman told me, unfortunately her time there has wrecked her sense of reality, leaving us some of the few people Batman believes she can be around without acting like a robot. He has asked to have her stay with us while she receives therapy in Metropolis. I have agreed to this but I have the final say as to if she can join the operation. Now I want your opinions on this."

"We bunk in Metropolis with an unstable super powered Amazon pretender while snooping in LexCorp?" Lady Blackhawk asks while rubbing her sore butt. "I don't like it."

"Yeah, we weren't a match for her the last time, we will have no chance if she goes overboard anywhere near us now." Manhunter adds.

"We were caught off guard last time, and as Babs said, she's not scared of us." Dinah says.

"I wouldn't be scared of anyone either if I would lift a battleship with my head!" Blackhawk grumbles.

"That's not what I meant, this girl has experienced god knows what and thinks all of her friends are going to turn on her any second. She needs a place where she is not completely at her wits end." Dinah counters.

"As long as Babs gives the green, I'm in." Huntress adds.

"So what happens if she goes all looney?" Manhunter asks.

"Tranquilizers and a call to the League." Barbara replies flatly. "But when I am done here, I am placing a call to Dr. Fate to see if he can do anything. Like you, I am not thrilled about the idea of what happens if she has a nightmare or something."

"Didn't he design the cell she wrecked on the satellite?" Blackhawk asks.

"He did, but she broke out of it in a fit of rage using Wonder Woman as a battering ram. Batman assured me she is not psychotic, so she should be fine while awake. So what is it going to be Kate?" Oracle asks the red dressed woman.

"We keep her under watch at all times and I'll be fine with it." She shrugs.

"Good. Now, do any of you have issues with dogs?" Barbara asks.

It is early in the evening in Wayne Manor on the day they brought Raven back from Themyscira. After arriving, Raven had almost immediately barricaded herself in her room, only letting Alfred enter with some food. With her is Cerberus, who rarely strays from her side. Richard is sitting in the kitchen with Bruce as Alfred returns with the empty tray of food he went to offer Raven.

"She examines her food." Alfred notes, Richard sighs.

"She fears it is poisoned." Bruce voices the thought Richard had. "How does she react to you?"

"It is most strange sir, but she seems relieved when I enter." Bruce sighs, his suspicion was confirmed.

"Bruce, does she have a chance?" Richard asks without looking up. "I mean, she is dead scared of her friends, and she was never a social person to begin with, how can we expect her to talk to someone completely unknown to her?"

"That is why I asked Barbara to take her to the psychiatrist after staying with them for a day or so, if she hears it from any of us, she might think it is a trap. But yes, I think she has a chance." Bruce replies before slapping Richard on the shoulder. "Come on, it's time we get going. Alfred, keep an eye on her will you?"

"Of course Master Bruce." Alfred smiles sadly, watching the two leave, he notes Richards slumping shoulders.

Around two in the night, Richard has returned to the Manor because Batman had noted how distracted he was in the field. Robin had noticed it as well, Bruce wasn't unpleasant about it but he was quite firm that Richard stays away from Raven's room. This part is Richard going to break and he knew it before he left the two on a rooftop. So now he finds himself dressed for bed standing outside Ravens closed door, silently he turns the handle and opens the door slightly and looks inside.

The room is dark as it should be at this time, but Richard freezes as he sees the inhabitant is not asleep. Raven is wide awake apparently, sitting completely motionless in her bed with her back up against the wall. Richard can almost feel it as a physical thing, the searching Raven's eyes are doing and the fear that almost radiates off her.

"Raven?" He asks, if he didn't move a little, he wouldn't have seen her lips move, speaking wordlessly. Richard quickly retreats quickly when he reads what she is whispering to herself.

"Not again, please not again…" Richard is ashamed of himself and angry, how could he have been this stupid? He had caught an image himself raping her, what the hell was she supposed to think when he suddenly does something like this?

Inside Ravens room, Cerberus climbs up into her bed and curls up next to her, while she keeps staring off into space and whispers.

_The following day, Metropolis:_

"You look like you could use some sleep." Barbara notes as Raven puts down her bag in the room she has been given.

"I'm fine." Raven replies dryly. It had been an oddly quiet drive to Metropolis for Barbara and Dinah, who had rode with Raven, the other three Birds had shared the other car. So far the bulldog following Raven around seems like any other, except it is never far from Raven who largely seemed to ignore it. It had looked at the group of women strangely for a second when it saw the first, but with a single word from Raven, it had accepted them.

"Ok. I'll be down the hall setting up my gear, call if you need anything." Barbara shrugs before pulling the door shut and rolling down the hall. She was lucky, she knows, Fate was sharing her concern and had responded almost immediately to her request. The room Raven has now been appointed, is both soundproof, under video surveillance and warded to need some incredibly powerful magic's to penetrate, much stronger than the wards were in the cell on the League station.

"She is a wreck." Dinah notes as Barbara enters the core of her operation, the computer terminal.

"I know, but just act normally around her, and I repeat, do **not** try and get her to fight anyone." Dinah sighs at her friend at this, Barbara had repeated it several times before Raven arrived at the Gotham base, if Dinah tried, Raven is just as likely to stand rock still and take anything thrown at her as she was to curl up in a ball at the slightest sign of danger.

"I won't." Dinah replies while stacking a few boxes in a corner. "So how will you convince her to go?"

"I'm not sure, I am hoping something will come along and do the work for me." Barbara sighs while internally cursing Bruce for leaving her to do this, unlike him, she didn't think just letting it come out of the blue would work.

"You could try and be direct and just say it?" Dinah suggest.

"And what do I say if she asks why? That I just think she looks mentally ill and should see someone?!"

"Easy Babs it was just a suggestion." Dinah shrugs. "Can I suggest something else without getting my head bitten off?" She asks after a few seconds.

"Sure."

"Do we know how she would react to certain situations?"

"Not really. We would have to get hold of Nightwing, Batman or one of the other two Titans. What are you thinking of?" Barbara asks.

"Well if we can provoke a situation where we know she should act in a certain way, but if she acts differently, couldn't that warrant a shrink examination?" Barbara remain silent as she thinks about it, enough time passes in silence for Dinah to think otherwise. "Bad idea?"

"No, but it is a rotten way of going about it if we do it the easy way. Hold on, I'll ask." Barbara puts on her headset and opens up a secure channel to a certain cave in Gotham.

"Batman here, go ahead Oracle." Comes the gravely reply over the speakers.

"Batman, we need some kind of ballast to throw at Raven when we have to get her to therapy, in case she asks. We need to know how her behavioral pattern has changed." The line is silent for a few seconds.

"A common theme in the visions she had was that she did not resist in any of the later ones. Raven wouldn't normally let anyone get physically close to her if she could help it. You could try and have her spar with someone?" He suggests.

"Hmm, I don't like it, but if we have to pretend everything is otherwise normal, we will have to, just don't tell any of the others at your end, Oracle out." She shuts off the link. "Seems like we have something to arrange." She sighs.

The rest of the day passes with getting settled in, the birds go about their daily routine afterwards as if they didn't have a visitor, Oracle is busy reviewing a video streamed to her from the League, recorded by Cyborg and planning tonight's operation. Raven spends most of her time inside her room, to Barbara's worry, doing nothing but staring off into space. After reviewing the video, Barbara is slightly worried about the prospect of having her very human operatives engage the half demon, mainly if she doesn't react as expected. Dinner turns out be a strange and stiff affair, with Raven almost squeezing herself into a corner in an attempt to get some distance to the others. When the others go out to reconnoiter, Barbara has Raven with her in the computer terminal, which again turns out weird as well as Raven doesn't say anything or even move for over three stiff hours before being ordered to go to bed.

"Ok ladies, sparring time." Barbara calls over the speakers in the building, calling them all to the gym. The regulars make their way there quickly, Raven follows slowly after Barbara. After a brief round of warm up, with Raven doing something that looks like a warm up, Barbara announces the sparring teams.

"Are you mad?!" Huntress whispers to Barbara, after the announcement that it was going to be them versus Raven again. Raven hadn't batted an eye and moved onto the mat.

"No, I need you all in there if things don't go as expected." Barbara dismisses her.

"You sure you want to do this?" Blackhawk asks the blue cloaked woman across the mat. While Raven hadn't mended the remains of her leotard, Batman had told Alfred to make a copy out of the material he uses in his capes, resulting in a very similar looking copy, if not slightly heavier, and bullet proof.

"Doesn't matter." Raven replies flatly, the others cast nervous glazes at each other as Barbara raises the barrier around them.

"GO!" Dinah yells as the group surges forwards in a practiced pattern, the result is a kick to Raven's head with the rest bears her to the ground.

"STOP!" Barbara yells, noticing Raven isn't fighting back at all. She quickly disengages the shield and rolls onto the mat as the other quickly get up, leaving Raven on the ground. "Raven?" No reply. "Raven!" Raven visibly flinches but doesn't reply. "Get her up, we go now." Barbara commands, Huntress and Dinah haul Raven to her feet by her hands, and drags her with them. Barbara collects a few discs from her hub before they all head down to the cars, Cerberus following after them as they pass Raven's room.

"Miss Gordon and Miss Roth? Dr. Samson will see you now." The blond secretary calls from her desk, it had taken some time and a harsh order, but Barbara had managed to get a scared Raven to take them to the 7th floor where the psychiatrist had her practice, leaving Dinah to tend to the dog in the car. As Barbara rolls into the red carpeted room, where the walls are lined with bookcases and paintings, evidence that the doctor is well paid. The doctor herself is a raven headed woman in a black needle pin suit sitting behind a wooden desk with her back to the windows; she has a pleasant face lined with frameless glasses pinched on her nose.

"Welcome Miss Gordon, Miss Roth. So what can I do for you?" The doctor asks as the pair approach her.

"Well, its Miss Roth here, she's had a traumatic experience and she's not sure what is real anymore." Barbara says, the doctor looks at Raven, who is staring off into space, for a moment before replying.

"I see, I will see what I can do." Barbara nods at her. "Come back in an hour and I should be done with the preliminaries."

"Ok." Barbara replies while pushing herself out the door, leaving Raven with the shrink, after the door closes she turns herself to the cloaked woman in front of her desk.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Catharina Samson, you can just call me Cat." The woman says while trying to look into the eyes that are staring off into space.

"I'm Raven." Raven mutters as a reply.

"Good, will you take a seat?" Samson asks indicating at the chair next to Raven, who sits down slowly. "Now Raven, I want to make sure you understand that what is said between us is totally confidential." Raven just shrugs. "I was told you've had a bad experience, want to talk about it?"

"I'm in it. It is only a matter of time before it happens again." Raven sighs without making eye contact.

"What happens?"

"I do something wrong and everyone turns on me."

"And then what happens?" Catharina asks.

"I die, horribly, before I wake up in a new scenario." Raven says while blinking, Catharina has the feeling it's just a reflex.

"And how many times has this happened?"

"1269."

"You remember all of this?" Cat asks.

"I have a near photographic memory." Raven replies dryly. "I remember one with your name once contributed to a news paper article about me."

"What did I say?" Cat asks, wanting to test Ravens claim on memory.

"That I was possibly troubled, disliked my own appearance and is either very private or shy. Also you wrote that I was most likely damaging myself by living like a hermit."

"All of that was concluded from afar, I think the guy that asked me to analyze you went on to make a really good article about you."

"Harold Turner, he's the editor in chief at the Jump City Herald now or was, last I looked."

"So was I wrong?" Cat asks, satisfied Raven really has that good a memory.

"Not really."

"Miss Gordon, can I talk to you?" Cat asks the wheelchair bound woman in the waiting room.

"Sure. You just wait here, ok Raven?" Barbara asks, getting a slow nod before pushing herself into the office. "So?"

"Well she has a long way to go; whatever happened to her has made a mess of her. If you have anything that can help me gauge if I am making headway, it would be appreciated."

"I do, here." Barbara hands her three discs. "Surveillance recordings from before and after the incident, recorded at different sites, no editing or staging of any sort has been done to it."

"I am in for something special, aren't I?" Cat asks.

"You are, trust me." Barbara says. "I suppose, with your reputation, I can trust those discs will go no further?"

"Doctor-patient confidentiality." Cat replies.


	15. The Czarnian

"Ok girls, I want a nice and clean sweep of the place, just in and out." Barbara says into her headset while keeping an eye on the four screens in front of her, each displaying the view from a miniature camera attached to one of her operatives. Each of Bird is entering LexCorps manufacturing complex from a different point of entry while Barbara has been tapping into the surveillance feed and is preparing to send it into a loop so her operatives can move without worrying about cameras. She has been specific about where she wants them all to head to; the west wing of the plant, where Barbara herself has failed to hack into without risking notice. Raven has been seated on a chair in a corner behind Barbara, after the second day of her standing up, Barbara ordered her to go get a chair for herself.

A green dot appears in the corner of each screen, the silent acknowledgement from each operative that they heard and understood. For as long as possible, the group of infiltrators will be running silent to avoid detection, leaving Barbara as the only speaker if needed. One by one the images begin to move as the carriers begin heading towards their designated access points, an open window, an air vent, a back door and a window in the roof. They all move with practiced efficiency, moving silently through darkened corridors and along rafters. Barbara doesn't have to say anything, her team are veterans at this. Any guards encountered are left either unaware or unconscious, each radio is hacked so Barbara can respond to any calls they were needed to make. A fifth screen shows a grid displaying the known parts of the building, with 4 red dots moving over it. They all halt for a second as they all reach the blanked out area of the factory, before they all make their way inside.

One of the screens, showing what Dinah's camera is seeing, shows her coming through a door before hiding behind a pile of boxes. Looking out from behind the boxes, the camera is turned slowly around the room. There are only two people inside of the room, that is mostly empty, the only feature is a sarcophagus like shell in the center, it seems to be made of silver and is bathed in bright light. It is Dinah's fortune that the two people in the room have their backs turned, facing the sarcophagus or she would have been spotted. The others operatives are in the air vents running along the walls and the ceiling.

"When will it be ready?" A female asks.

"It's faking again, brainwaves and vital signs are normal." The man replies getting a sigh out of the woman.

"Damnit…I don't like keeping it here." The woman growls in an agitated tone.

"You and me both, heck I don't like being in the same city." The man says.

"When we are done, you will both be glad we picked him up." The voice of a third woman says as she enters through the main entrance; a pair of large hangar doors. "If you don't like it, too bad, you know what you signed up for." The two salute the woman as a commander.

"So Miss Graves is hiding something." Barbara says quietly. "Someone get a look at what's inside that thing, then get out." The display showing Huntress in her air duct at the ceiling shows her moving forwards slowly, careful not to make a sound.

"Anyways, you two get out, we have rat problem and the exterminator is about to arrive." Mercy Graves says before turning around and heading out of the door followed by the two. "Initiate security protocol Sierra Alfa Foxtrot Echo." She says out loud over her shoulder and the room is filled with dull humming that rises to a screech before the sarcophagus is lighted up by a blinding light before it disappears.

"We've been made, get out!" Barbara whispers loudly into her microphone, the screens begin shaking as the Birds begin moving.

"HEY HEY! The Main Man is in the house, now where are those rats?!" Barbara's eyes go wide and the camera's freeze as those that can swing to look at the main entrance where a huge ash skinned humanoid enters the room, wearing the clothes and style of a biker, right down to the shaggy black mane of hair and mostly unshaven appearance.

"Lobo." Barbara almost whispers, the shaggy brute stomps loudly through the doors that are closing behind him, he halts as they draw closed, leaving Dinah no chance of getting out unseen, he sniffs the air.

"And here we have our first contestant!" Lobo says before he moves too fast for Barbara or anyone else to warn Dinah before a black gloved hand descends on her hair from above and yanks her over the boxes she was hiding behind.

"Hey! Let go!" Dinah squirms in his grip as he holds her up to his face, which lights up at the sight as if pleasantly suprised.

"Well hello there." He says while his peaked tongue rolls out of his mouth.

"Dinah get out!" Barbara hisses. Dinah growls at the brute before she lets her sonic scream hit Lobo full in the face as he holds her closer for study. Inside the air ducks behind Lobo, Lady Blackhawk crawls up in a ball as she grids her teeth and covers her ears as she is treated to the blunted Canary Cry, Lobo doesn't seem to notice it.

"HA! That's a nice tune, here's mine!" He says before Dinah is treated to a loud and foul smelling roar, leaving her feeling sick from the smell before he throws her into the wall in front of him, knocking her unconscious as her head is the first thing to make contact. Lobo bounces after her and punches his fist through the metal plated wall and drags out a kicking Manhunter by her right leg. "Whoa, more girls!" Lobo grins at her before putting his knee to her head, knocking her out as well before dropping her next to Dinah. Unwinding a chain with a meathook attached to it from his right arm, he begins swinging the hook around rapidly as he walks calmly towards the opposite wall, as he is about to pass under the vent in the ceiling he lets the hook fly, tearing away a large chunk of the shaft, trapping Huntress inside the room. Lobo continues to walk over to the wall, whistling tunelessly to himself as he punches another hole in the wall and drags Blackhawk out by holding her chest in one hand. She tries to get her guns up, but a sharp slap from Lobo sends her to the same place as the other two. Tossing her over to the others, Lobo swings his chain again and cuts away the vent section behind Huntress. The remains begin to creek as the bolts holding her in place begins to fail. A groan and a crack announces the shaft's decent to the floor, with Huntress in it. The five meter drop sends Huntress to join the others, the fall being too short for her to fire her crossbow and pull herself to relative safety. "Well would you look at that, four babes and just old Lobo around to entertain them." Barbara can only watch as her unconscious operatives are slung over Lobo's broad shoulders and carried off, she nearly jumps when a dry voice speaks from behind her.

"Where are they?"

"Could this get any better?" Lobo asks to no one. "I get paid, I get booze and I got broads!" Said females are still unconscious and strung up like big X's on the wall of what looks like a large garage apartment, in one corner is a fridge with a pile of empty beer cans next to it. In another corner is a large dirty mattress thats served at Lobo's bed, next to it is a shelf loaded down with CD's, mostly heavy metal type of music. What parts of the walls that aren't dented or occupied by his captives, Lobo has taken time to plaster them with posters of scantily clad women or band posters. There are two exits both closed at the moment and both large enough for the hovering wheel-less motorcycle with the fanged skull on the front it to pass through. Not that Lobo cares, as the repaired hole in the ceiling testifies to. "Oh yeah! I know what I'm missing!" Lobo continues before moving over to the fridge and grabs a fresh beer before moving over and switches on the stereo buried under the CD covers, the sound coming out is near-deafening. He smirks before beginning to dance around and play air guitar to the tunes, which is the sight that greets Black Canary as she regains consciousness.

Finding her hands and feet restrained with rope and a weird metal gag covering the lower part of her face, she begins squirming around. She gives up as Lobo jumps onto the back of his bike and keeps playing along, sighting, she looks at her friends, noting she is probably the lucky one, Blackhawks face is heavily swollen and her jaw seems to hang in an odd fashion, Huntress is covered in bruises and Manhunter has a large red spot on her forehead. Dinah herself has felt better with the very sore back and head she has.

"Wow yeah! I tell ya, if this worthless mudball doesn't make anything else you make damn good music!" Lobo hollers as the track comes to an end. "Oh lookie, Goldie has come too." Lobo smiles as he looks at Dinah, he walks over while tossing the now empty beer can into his mouth and swallows it. "Now then, the lead lady around here wants to talk to you when she gets back. But till then, I get to have my fun." He smiles while leaning close to Dinah. Dinah is suddenly glad for the metal plate covering her mouth as Lobo gives it a kiss while holding onto her head. "Hmm something wrong about that. Oh that's right." Lobo undoes the gag before tossing it over his shoulder. "Now whatta ya say, figure you and your friends are cool enough for the main man?" He asks before leaning close again.

"Get away from me!" Dinah squirms trying to get her face away from him.

"That's what they all say at the beginning." Lobo smirks as he firmly grabs her cheeks and turns her face back to face him.

"Step away from them." A flat voice distracts him in time before he can kiss Dinah.

"Huh?" Lobo lets go and faces his new guest, a female in a blue cloak and hood. "I thought I got all ya? Oh well, always room for another." He sniffs the air as if becoming aware of something. "Hot damn you smell good! What is that? Sulfur?"

"Raven?! Get out! You're no match for him!" Dinah yells from the wall, wondering what the hell Barbara had been thinking before it strikes her that Barbara might not have had a choice.

"Get away from them." Raven replies to Lobo, ignoring Dinah.

"Naaa. But if you wanna you can get to sample the Main Man as the first one tonight." Lobo boasts as he advances towards Raven who floats above the floor and keeps the bike between them. "Whatdda say?"

"You reek of alcohol, engine grease and sweat. I'd have to be heavily intoxicated to go anywhere with you." Raven replies calmly as they continue to circle the bike.

"Part of the charm, come here." He continues before jumping over the bike and tries to grab Raven in a hug, catching nothing but air as she sinks into the ground and emerges on the other side. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Like you, have rules." Raven grumbles.

"Ah yeah." Lobo replies with a smile before whistling, the bike comes alive at once and plows Raven down, as she was standing in front of it. Dinah swears wildly as Lobo grabs Raven by the throat and lifts her off the floor. "Even prettier without the hood." He says as he studies the grey skinned face revealed by the lacking concealment.

"Wish I could say the same." Raven growls before she swings her legs up, kicking Lobo in the jaw, who doesn't seem overly troubled by it.

"Ahh! I love a girl that plays rough!" Lobo continues smiling as he throws Raven away, slamming her against the wall over his bed before she drops face down on it. Dinah fears their rescuer is just about to have realized some of the visions she claims to have seen.

"Raven! Change damnit! You're stronger than that!" Dinah yells out of desperation, she hasn't actually seen what Raven is capable of when changed, but if kicking Wonder Woman around is part of it, it's needed now.

"Pipe down Goldie, I'll be with you later!" Lobo shouts over his shoulder before turning back to Raven who is getting onto her feet before being forced back up against the wall as he pins her arms to it over her head. "Now why don't we get to know each other properly?" He smirks as he looms over her before closing his eyes and aims to kiss her. While his eyes are closed, Ravens skin changes color and she grows an extra set of eyes and once again her boots are shredded.

"Sure." Raven says after transforming fully before blasting Lobo with a bolt of telekinetic force, sending him crashing through the far wall. Without moving she holds out a hand and cuts the restraints holding the captives and guides them onto the ground. "You ok?" She asks.

"I will be. Can you get us out of here?" Dinah asks as she checks up on the others.

"Yes, but he's not down yet." Raven replies flatly as something is heard moving on the other side of the hole in the wall.

"Oh yeah, someone is definitely tired of breathin!" A grumpy voice says before Lobo emerges out of the hole. "Hey where did the other one go?" He asks, seeing the redskinned woman with the grey hear and four eyes. "Oh well, I'm the manager of the Hotel Defrag. Oh lookie it's checkout time!" He shrugs before leaping at Raven.

In response, Raven does a back flip that treats Lobo to two kicks to the jaw, sending him flying through the ceiling. She can hear him whistle after landing somewhere above her, and the bike flies after him.

"We need to go, now." Raven says as she moves over to the others and opens a portal in the wall. Dinah steps through with Huntress in her arms, disappearing a second before returning.

"The Satellite?" She asks as she comes back again to get Blackhawk.

"Maybe he won't follow us there." Raven says as Dinah disappears again while Raven has Manhunter drift through the portal as well.

"Come on!" Dinah calls from the other side.

"Comi…hurk!" Raven loses her focus as she is about to step through as the meat hook on a chain wraps itself around her throat and yanks her onto her back.

"Ding dong, Lobo's calling! Let's go for a ride!" The white skinned alien yells as he secures the chain to a hook on his bike and zooms out of the building, making a new hole in the wall, dragging Raven behind him.

Besides getting choked by the chain, the hook keeps moving about, hitting her head a few times in the process, and she is getting dragged over the ground, which first consists of the gravel surrounding the factory, then the barbed wire fence Lobo mows down and then the asphalt of the road and cars beyond. Getting dragged over what she thinks is a cab, gives her the air time she needs to focus. Freezing all movement of herself and the bike, she sends Lobo flying over the handlebar and face first through a windscreen of an oncoming car that screeches to a halt, an old woman stares slackjawed as the alien biker pulls his head out of her car.

"Now let's see;

I bet you're one of those super dorks

You're hot and I really want to get to know both you and the grey one better, but you're pissing me off!

You got my hog!"

Lobo stops counting fingers from the hood of the old woman's car when he sees Raven pull the chain off her neck and pulls the bike closer. He whistles once to start the engine again, leaving Raven to dig her heels into the ground.

"You want this bike so badly?" She asks before yanking it back and jumping into the air with her feet first, before landing herself in the driver's seat and yanks on what she thinks is the throttle.

"HEY! Uh-Oh." Is what Lobo manages before he is caught in the path of his own bike and is carried off. Raven back flips off the bike before it and Lobo slams through a building. It is only silent a few seconds before Lobo hovers back out on his bike, soaked and with a toilet seat out of his hair. "No one sends the Main Man to the drink!" He shouts angrily before jumping off the bike and grabs a parked car and hurls it in Ravens direction, the shot is poorly aimed but powerful.

"NO!" Raven shouts as she sees where the car will land, on two kids and their mother who are too shocked to move. Fortunately for them, Raven acts on the first thought she has and pushes them out of the way, putting herself in the projectiles path. Caught between the car and the building behind it, Raven manages to admit Diana didn't hit quite as hard, before darkness claims her.

Raven feels like she is coming to, but she can't see anything, only hear the voices.

"Superman?!"

"What happened to her?"

"Get her to the medical ward!"

"Why isn't she healing herself?"

"Damnit Rae, hang in there."

The voices drift in and out of her mind as does her consciousness before it all goes dark once more.

_Later:_

"How is she?" Batman asks the oddly dressed doctor, who goes by the name of Mid-Night approached the group with his results.

"Numerous lacerations, crushed ribs, lost a lot of blood, lots of broken bones, but she was closest to dying from the loss of blood, or whatever it is she has in her veins." He replies to the group waiting outside.

"Will she be all right?" Diana asks.

"She should have been dead from the loss of blood alone Princess, but something is keeping her going."

"She is too stubborn to give up entirely." Nightwing says grimly.

"That may be, but she will expire eventually if we don't work up a miracle fast." Mid-Night continues. "Right now nothing is healing, natural or otherwise."

"Then we need to get J'onn. Raven still thinks she is stuck in Tartarus so dying now won't matter to her, that's why she's not healing." Beastboy interrupts.

"Makes sense, if she can accelerate her own healing, it means she can arrest it as well even if it's subconsciously." Batman says as he presses the communicator in his ear. "J'onn we need you at the medical bay, it's Raven."

J'onn had been quick with coming up with a suggestion on how to aid Raven if traditional therapy proved inefficient, but before explaining what it was, he had stated he would not do it unless the need was dire because of the risks involved. But if he had to he would go into her mind and try and see if he could rebuild her mind if possible; it was an old practice from Mars, but a rarely used one because lasting mental trauma's were rare amongst them.

"It is dire?" J'onn asks as he phases through a wall, startling Beastboy.

"She will die in matter of hours unless she starts healing." Mid-Night says matter-of-factly, J'onn nods before he phases through the wall and into this mystically warded section of the infirmary. He sits down next to the battered and bandaged shape of Raven lying on the only bed in the room and puts his hands on her temples and focuses. After a few moments he opens his eyes again and comes out again.

"She will need more help than I can provide alone; she needs the ones closest to her." He says while looking at them all, the Titans, Batman and Wonder Woman.

"You want us all to go into her head?" Beastboy asks.

"Yes." J'onn says stiffly. "And Starfire wants to come as well." He says before a croak is heard from behind them, turning around they see Starfire walking ungainly down the corridor, using the wall as support and guide, but still appearing to know exactly where she needed to go.

"She shouldn't, not in her state." Mid-Night says.

"Her condition here has nothing to do with the condition of her mind." J'onn replies as Starfire is met by Beastboy who first gets his hair ruffled before he leads her closer. The ruffling has become a habit for her and a way to identify him. "Besides she can sense her friend's condition."

"So what are we waiting for?" Cyborg asks, pushing past Midnight before he can protest further.


	16. Misplaced Feelings

"This...this is friend Ravens mind?" Starfire asks as she surveys the vast emptiness of the place around her, the place looks the same if only more battered; much of the stone path seems to be crumbling, along with the first portal. Azerath still hangs ominously in the sky above them; it's once proud walls however now look like they have endured a devastating siege as much of it seems ruined.

"It is." Cyborg confirms. "I hope those birds ain't around here." He whispers to Beastboy who nods in agreement.

"It is a dark place." Diana mentions.

"It is tranquil." A voice says from above them, where they see two blue ghosts floating, one of an old man and a younger woman. "Before you continue, you have to follow us, you need to see something." He says.

"And you are?" Batman asks.

"I am Hemon, this is Arella." He introduces.

"You're Raven's mother?" Nightwing asks, the woman nods at him.

"I am, but there is no time, come." She says before turning away. The group flies up to the city, each carried by one capable of flight, Diana with Batman, Starfire with Nightwing, Cyborg in pterodactyl's claws and J'onn in the lead. As they fly over the city J'onn notes how empty the streets seem to be.

"They are all gathered in the temples in prayer." Hemon says from up front, having noticed J'onn searching eyes.

"So she actually has a city of ghosts in her head." Batman notes quietly to himself.

"So Azerath was like this when it was alive?" Nightwing asks as he is carried right behind Arella.

"No, it was a bright place, but as we are inside Raven's head we are content with what light we have." Arella says. "We are here." They all touch down before the council gates.

"J'onn of Mars will know how this should look." Hemon says before he pushes open the door, inside the room is completely dark. "The members are still here, but have a look for yourselves." Hemon says, admitting them to the room. Batman, Nightwing and Cyborg pull out their flashlights and Starfire lets a green glow surround her hand. As the light illuminates it all, they see many seated statues of Raven carved in stone.

"Statues?" Beastboy asks as Nightwing walks over and brushes the cheek of one of them.

"Not exactly." Hemon says. "When you broke her out of Tartarus, she came here; we were able to calm her through our prayers and well wishes, thought not enough as she was pulled back too soon. When she didn't come back, we resumed our prayers for her. For a short time we thought all was going to be well, but suddenly everything in here trembled, when Arella came here to ask if Raven knew what had happened, she found them all like this." He says while motioning at the statues.

"These are her emotions?" Cyborg asks, connecting the dots.

"Not entirely, these are their representatives here." Arella continues. "That one was Rage." She says while pointing at the one Nightwing stands near. "When she found us here, years ago, we suggested to her to set up a council like this to ease the governing of her feelings. When the quake struck, they were all sent to different realms in her mind."

"Without the coordination she had from here, her emotions are lost in different places?" Batman speculates.

"Quite right." Hemon says. "Because of the many injuries, they have lost themselves in each others realms. They need to be guided back into their proper settings for her to recover. J'onn you remember the meeting with Wisdom?"

"I do. What about it?" J'onn asks.

"The parent emotions she told you about?" Hemon continues.

"Ah yes, the seven primal." J'onn replies as he understands what Hemon is getting at.

"You need to find them and guide them back to their own realms; from there they can direct the others back." Arella says. "We have tried to do it ourselves, but they will not heed us, some appear not to even see us. But they will hopefully react differently with you."

"So how do we get them back to where they need to where they need to be?" Cyborg asks.

"They can only show one real emotion, everything else will be forced and seem unreal." Hemon says.

"Umm so this will be like Anger laughing?" Beastboy asks.

"It will, and I pray you will be prepared to run when you find her." Arella says looking sadly at them.

"We are." Diana says, getting nods out of the others.

"Good, I will only ask for one volunteer to go into Rages realm. It will be the most dangerous when the rightful owner returns." Hemon says while looking at J'onn.

"I will brave that realm." Diana says.

"I may suggest the other assignments." J'onn asks getting a nod from Hemon. "Based on what I know of this world and of us, I will suggest sending Beastboy into Sloth's realm, Cyborg will get Rude's realm, Batman will take the forest where Bravery should have been, Nightwing will take Timid's labyrinth, Starfire will take the library and I will take the realm of Happy. Remember the emotions belonging to those realms will not be there." He answers the unasked question from Starfire, who wanted to go into Happy's realm.

"So what do we do if we find them and how do we find them?" Beastboy asks.

"Test them for emotions, only one will be natural to it. And finding them is not hard; the lesser emotions are transparent, nearly invisible, while the parent emotions are solid these days. Amazon, I will lead you to the pit." Arella says.

"You've been here before, anything we should know?" Batman asks the two Titans.

"Just stay clear of the wildlife if it has four eyes." Cyborg replies. "And teeth."

"And don't believe anything you see here." J'onn says. "All images are fueled by the emotions." The group nods before being led out and to their destinations.

"It smells like Tartarus." Diana says as Arella opens the golden gates leading into Rages realm from Azerath.

"It would, Rage is the part of her that would blindly follow her dread father." Arella says as she follows Diana inside and closes the gate.

"You follow me in?" Diana notes.

"I wish to have words with the one who blessed my daughter with a home." Arella says.

"Please, think nothing of it, she deserves one amongst us." Diana says as they begin walking.

"I understand, yet it clashes with the wishes and beliefs of Azerath." Arella keeps walking as Diana halts. "We are pacifists."

"Yet Raven is great warrior?" Diana mentions as they continues.

"We would not know of how to measure one, but how she has built herself is her of her own doing." Arella says, oddly reminding Diana of her own mother, who could occasionally appear as aloof around her as Arealla is appearing now.

"You disapprove?"

"I am in two minds about it; I came from Earth, raised in a home where I was not cared for. When I fled, I made a bad choice and ended up carrying Raven. Azerath reached out to me and took me away and taught me to be at peace. I would have wished the same peace for my daughter, yet she returned to the world that I fled from." Arella says after a moment's thought.

"You didn't teach her your values?" Diana asks.

"I tried, when my time came, but by then it was too late. Understand that Raven was taken from me the day she was born, so my attachment to her would not stir her. For ten years I was resigned to watch her being raised by strangers into an emotional glacier; when I was finally allowed near her at the age of ten, she no longer recognized me as a child would her mother, to her; I was just another teacher." Arella sighs while a tear flows down her ghostly features, which moves Diana.

"You were not allowed near her?" Diana asks in disbelief as she is once again reminded of how little Raven's childhood resembled her own.

"Never, it was decreed with the prophecy of her birth that all emotion shown around Raven was banned, she was taught from birth, never to cry, laugh or frown. All because of the consequences it could have if she did. I was deemed an unnecessary risk until the day Azar left us. I tried many times to be allowed to be near her, often I pleaded with Azar and her council to be allowed to even see my child and each time I was denied. I could only watch from afar as she grew, raised in a…barbaric manner, one I did not believe Azerath was capable of."

"So what has all of this to do with Raven's new home?" Diana asks.

"Everything. I am telling you this because I want you to know that Raven never had a childhood and never had a home in Azerath as she should have had. The first acts of kindness was first really shown her when she left arrived on Earth, ironically, and with Robin and the others it was her first true home where she wasn't considered a pariah. Since the day the dragon burnt it to the ground she had none, till you offered her sanctuary. What I ask of you, I do as a mother, take care of her in a way she deserves to be, one day; yours may be the only one she will have." Arella stops and faces Diana.

"You have my word as a warrior that I will." Diana doesn't hesitate. "Thought I fear I might outlive your daughter as I am unsure if she will share our blessings of long life."

"It is a secret I have not had the heart to tell her; the night she left Azerath, her father sent me a message from beyond the barriers. He said I had seen my child for the last time with my own living eyes, and he was correct Azerath was destroyed before Raven returned. But he also said, with some amusement in his voice, that no matter what she did, he had assured that she would see everyone she would come to hold dear die."

"Was that was a sort of torture he was planning?" Diana asks knowing that gods and demons could turn things people might otherwise covert into a form of torment.

Arella sighs. "It is, she is born immortal Diana, she will age no further but she will see her friends grow old and die before her eyes. This was both as a security measure, should his plans take more time, and a kind of torture should she succeed, he would not have his Gem fall simply because of old age."

"When that day comes, the Amazons will be there for her, as they will be for me." Diana says after a few seconds, knowing she will see her own friends wither and die as well if she lived that long.

"That is all I ask of you, thank you." Arella says sincerely as they reach an opening in the tunnel. "We have arrived."

"Cheery." Nightwing says as he eyes the carvings made into the walls of the labyrinth, some depicting the images J'onn saw as he passed through others appear as a mess, like the several distorted faces he has passed. He has been walking and turning corners for the last 5 minutes and not had any indication of which or where to find the emotion lost in here. Actually he is sure he is lost himself by now, so he has resigned himself to keep walking until he meets someone. As he turns a corner he collides with something and gets tangled up in a cloak that keeps changing color.

"Hey! Oh wait that's not right." Raven's voice says as she looks up at Nightwing lying over her. "Uh sorry?" Nightwing stares at her, he wasn't sure what to expect by meeting an emotion, but a copy of Raven wasn't it. "Umm, sorry?" Her second apology snaps him back and he gets off her.

"No problem." He says while offering her a hand. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Timid, I think?" She says while looking at him questioningly. "What are you?"

"Umm, I'm Richard? Remember?" He asks.

"No? Erm no matter, what are you doing here?" She asks while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, the real you needs to begin healing herself, something you have stopped doing since we pulled you out of Tartarus. To do that we need you back in your right setting."

"I am in the right setting; I'm Timid in my labyrinth." The emotion replies.

"You don't seem very Timid?" Richard notes trying to remember what Beastboy and Cyborg had told him about their trip in here.

"I don't?" The emotion seems to deflate. "You mean, I'm not Timid?" Richard shakes his head, wondering if everyone else is having the same luck as him.

"Hmm, smells like my room." Beastboy notes at his surroundings, black dead trees with garbage littering the ground at the roots and the path he is walking on. "Now if I was Ravens lazy side, where would I be? Does she even have a lazy side?!"

"Damnit how's a girl supposed to sleep on this?!" Ravens clearly agitated voice reaches his ears as something rustling. "Ewww, what's this doing here?! That's disgusting!" Beastboy decides to take a shortcut through the trees; the snapping sounds of the twigs he breaks are heard. "Oh crap!" The rustling suddenly stops with a crunch as Beastboy enters a clearing in the wood, find **a** Raven faking sleep on a pile of rubbish.

"Rae?" Beastboy asks as he walks closer, he sees she is squeezing her eyes shut. "You can stop faking now I know you're awake." He says while pinching his nose closed, he notes internally the smell is worse than his room ever was.

"Shut up I'm trying to be lazy!" The emotion snaps, Beastboy sighs and hopes the skin color is an indication he's found Rude and not Rage.

"Well you're not lazy, you're Rude." He says as he steps back.

"Yes I am lazy, see!" The emotion grumbles back before rolling over, dipping her face into something wet. "YUK!"

Batman moves silently amongst the trees, keeping a batarang ready in his hand. Already one monster composed of books had tried to jump him, he had hit it once in the chest and it had collapsed, for some reason it failed to assure him that other such encounters will be as easy. He hides behind a tree as he spots a solid looking female in a hood and cloak stumbling around while keeping a hand on the trees closest to her.

"I'm getting the feeling I'm not supposed to be doing anything like that. Now where did my glasses go?" The emotion says as it stumbles around, the glasses in question are behind her, lying on the ground. From his hiding place Batman puts his weapon back into his belt; he has a fairly good idea of who he's found; now he just has to convince her of the same.

While her back is turned he walks up behind her and picks up the glasses before tapping her on the shoulder.

"Whoa!" The emotion jumps at the contact and turns too fast to keep herself balanced and ends up on her rump before scrambling away on all fours and gets up in something that looks like a ready position. "Ok, ready beastie." Batman tries not to smirk as she tries to appear menacing at a broke tree.

"You may want to put these on." He says as he lets her glasses brush her left hand.

"Huh? Oh, thanks." The emotion says as she grabs the spectacles and puts them on, getting her first good look at Batman. "Oh dear."

"It is not a pleasant sight." Arella says as she and Diana fly over the floor of bodies.

"No. But am I wrong in that some of the elements are not supposed to be here?" Diana asks.

"You are correct; it is the displaced emotion trying to adjust to what it thinks it is." Diana nods at this, one of the first things that had caught her eye when they entered the cavern, was that there was strawberries on the floor as well. When they passed by, she had seen copies of herself, Arella and Nightwing burning in the pyre.

"So it's bringing elements from its own realm here."

"Yes. " Arella agrees. "That's her." In front of them is a cloaked version of Raven hovering over the floor with her back turned towards them.

"Will this work on her?" Diana asks looking at her lasso.

"I do not know what abilities it posses." Arella says as she stops, letting Diana approach the emotion alone.

"Emotion!" Diana calls, getting the emotion to turn and face her, its own face is cast in shadow while only three red eyes are seen under the hood.

"Grr!" It grumbles before Diana casts her lasso around her. "Hey!"

"Who are you?" Diana asks.

"I'm Ang...Wait, no I am not, who am I?" The emotion looks at Diana with a questioning look.

"You don't remember at all?" Diana asks; the emotion just shakes its head at her.

"I'm lost." It says as it lands on the ground.

"Try the strawberry." Arella whispers to Diana, who slowly picks one up before tossing it to the emotion that catches it.

"Ohh, strawberry!" Its face lights up before it stuffs it into its mouth.

"It's Happy." Arealla says in some relief as her suspicion is confirmed.

"That's right, I am Happy." The emotion says as the eyes changes and a huge grin gets plastered over its face while the cloak turns pink.

"Friend Raven? Are you in here?" Starfire asks as she glides through the library, she was certain she heard movement from the far side when she entered, but no sound had been heard since then. "Raven?" She asks again as she passes the overturned chair at the burnt out fire place again. She halts, wondering if Raven could have flown up to the ceiling she can't see. She is about to head up to look for her when someone hiccups behind her, turning around she sees only the overturned chair. "Raven?" Starfire asks as she bends down and lifts the chair, revealing a very small looking Raven sitting on the floor while hugging her knees. "Oh friend Raven I have found you!" Starfire squeals happily as she tosses the chair aside and reaches for Raven.

"Don't hurt me!" The emotion almost cries as she falls on her face in an effort to dodge Starfire's infamous hug.

"Friend Raven?" Starfire asks confused at the reaction. "It is I Starfire your friend."

"I…I..know." The emotion says as she keeps her head down. "I…I am supposed to know."

"You are Timid, yes?" Starfire asks.

"I'm not supposed to be." The emotion sobs.

"Yes you are, but not here. Come, you should not be in the place of knowledge."

"I'm sorry." The emotion says with wet eyes as Starfire offers her hand.

"Yo Raven! Quit hiding!" Cyborg yell as he walks down the path through the forest of Rude's domain, he has been calling for at least five minutes now, hoping he's not found the emotion he and Beastboy calls Timid. "Place is huge, could take weeks to find her in here." He grumbles before hearing someone breathing heavily behind him. Turning around he is dumbfounded by the huffing and weezing Raven walking behind him, it's been a hard walk for the overweight emotion. If it wasn't for the cloak and the setting Cyborg wouldn't have recognized her.

"Stand still, I have to insult you." It wheezes as it catches its breath as it leans against a tree.

"Raven?" Cyborg asks.

"No you dimwit, you're in my head, I'm Rude." It snaps, still wheezing. Cyborg scratches his head, wondering how he will convince her as to who she is.

"You're fat." He says calmly.

"That's insensitive!" It complains, in his head Cyborg scratches Rage off his list.

"Well you're not Rage; tell me how many languages do you speak?" He asks, baiting for wisdom.

"I only need one for you baldy." Cyborg wonders if the area is influencing the emotions while he crosses off Wisdom or the 'Geek' emotion as Beastboy called it.

"Well you're not wise either." He shrugs before he suddenly runs at her with arms waving yelling. "BOUYA!" The emotion just stares at him.

"I see nose hair." It notes dryly as he stops right in front of her.

"Well Timid would have been over the hills by now and I can see you're in no shape to be Brave." "_Or any other the others."_ he adds internally. "So how are you feeling?"

"I warm and tired…what is this anyways? Ask the Emotion?" It asks grumpily.

"Nope, this is 'How to get Sloth to stop thinking she is Rude.'" Cyborg smirks at her.

"I am Rude!" It grumbles.

"You look tired, why don't you sit down?" Cyborg asks. "You'll be better rested when you have to be rude to me."

"You have a point." It says. "But don't think I'm letting you off!" It warns as it leans against a tree and slides down it.

"I'm not…HEY!" Cyborg suddenly realizes the weak point in his plan, Sloth is already fast asleep.

J'onn is worried; arriving in the realm of Happy almost immediately told him that Rage has taken up residence here when he found a copy of Starfire that had her head torn from her shoulders. Flying deeper into the realm leads J'onn to believe Starfire was just the first unfortunate illusion to meet the emotion when it arrived here, as he encounters less and less harmed illusions, but he can see the influence as some of them are actually fighting each other.

He slows his flight when he comes across a small stream colored red with blood; following the stream upwards he finds his quarry sitting curled up with her head resting on her knees on a rock in the middle of the water that's changed by its presence.

"It doesn't feel right…why doesn't it feel right?" It asks to no one as J'onn lands next to it.

"It does not feel right because you do not belong here." He says quietly.

"Yes I do, it just feels like I don't know what I like anymore." The emotion sighs.

"You do not; do you know what you are?" He asks, the emotion looks around herself.

"Guess I'm Happy." It shrugs.

"You are Rage." J'onn counters.

"Then why am I not angry?" She asks finally looking at him.

"You are displaced; your anger is being suppressed by this place."

"If you are correct that is." It sighs.

"If you are not Rage, why have I seen such damage done to this place?"

"Maybe I'm just sick and like torturing people? I am a demon after all." It counters.

"Only half demon, but you are partially correct; as I have been led to believe Rage is the part of Raven that is still fully demonic."

"So you're saying, I'm in the wrong part of my head and that I have to go back?" It asks, more to itself than J'onn.

"Yes." He says quietly, wondering how long the emotion will remain as lethargic.

Sigh. "Well we better get going." It says as it gets up. "You know, I'll miss not being angry all the time?" It asks, J'onn can only give her a slight smile.

"Ok in order for me to find out who you are, I have to test you." Nightwings says as he walks with the emotion.

"Uh ok?" The emotion next to him says not really getting what he is meaning.

"Well you aren't Timid, or at least you're not really acting like I what I heard she acts like. You're not rude in the least, so I figure you're not her either. We have been walking a fair bit and you aren't complaining so you're not Sloth." He explains.

"Well that leaves Wisdom, Courage and Rage."

"Actually I was thinking there was one more?" Nightwing is taken aback, he was certain that they were going to have to group up to find the last emotion, one he is certain is in here somewhere.

"Beyond the seven? Must be an offspring you are thinking about." Nightwing stops to look her in the eyes.

"Hope? Isn't there one amongst you by that name?" The emotion gives him a confused look.

"Never heard of that one." It says, noticing Nightwing is taken aback by it. "Guess I'm not Wisdom, huh?" Said emotion would know such a detail, Nightwing sighs.

"Guess not." He says eventually before trying with his theory. "I think you're Courage."

"Satisfied you're not Courage?" Batman asks the emotion that's picking herself off the forest floor, it has been the fifth time he has defeated her after she keeps insisting she is Courage and has to fight him.

"No, I am supposed to defeat you." She grumbles in irritation.

"I have no doubt the real Courage would have no trouble doing so, but I believe your place is somewhere else." He says as she gets into a ready position, he guesses the emotion he is addressing is using her memories to get it right.

"Oh? Prove it then." She demands before trying to kick him, he easily catches her foot and leaves her hopping on her other foot. "Hey, let go!"

"No, I need you to listen to reason. Would the real Courage need glasses? Would she have been defeated so easily in her own realm? And would she be able to tell me what books are standing on Nightwings desk in his room in Wayne Manor?"

"Dante's Divine Comedy, a self-help book and a mixed bunch of motorcycle and porno magazines he hopes you haven't noticed." It replies almost instantly, surprising itself, the last mention surprises Batman. "I'm not supposed to know all that." Batman lets go of her leg and steadies her with his other hand so she doesn't fall.

"You are, but you're not supposed to be here." The emotion blinks a few times and clutches her head.

"Arg, it's coming back now. We have to go before J'onn brings Rage out of Happy's realm." She says quickly and grabs Batman's hand.

"Why?" He asks but remains unmoving.

"Because Happy's realm is subduing her anger, if she leaves it J'onn will be the nearest candidate for a live skinning event!" She says before her eyes glow and Batman find himself back in the council chamber with Hemon and Wisdom dusting the rock crust off herself.

The others have similar experiences, in Rage's realm Happy suddenly notices her mother's spirit, Beastboy is suddenly subjected to a tide of abuse, Timid breaks down in tears with Starfire, Rage grows an extra set of eyes behind J'onns back and Bravery suddenly punches Nightwing to the ground. All of this happens before Wisdom can summon them all to the chamber.

"How'd we get back here?" Beastboy asks looking around himself confused. "What happened to you two?" He asks as he notices Nightwing and Cyborg, one sporting a bruised face the other huffing and wheezing.

"I think Courage got a second wind." Nightwing replies while rubbing his sore cheek.

"Sloth is heavy to carry around." Cyborg huffs, he had been trying to carry the emotion back to the entrance.

"Friend Beastboy, you smell most poorly." Starfire notes as she pinches her nose and waves the smell away from herself.

"Um, heh, well Sloth sleeps on a pile of trash." He admits; someone coughs behind them. They all turn to see the seven emotions getting out of their seats.

"To wake the others, I have to practically reboot my head." Wisdom says as they move towards the center to the glowing white sphere that appears there. "Cover your eyes, this will be crude." She says before they make contact with it.

To the spectators it is like the sun has appeared before them as the blast of light nearly blinds them before they can shield their eyes. Batman can see silhouettes through his cape, the light is strong enough for him to see that the seven are merging with the orb. The roar of the event lets loose is almost deafening.

"What is she doing?!" Diana yells.

"Pulling myself together sister." Ravens calm voice cuts through the noise before it fades with the light, leaving a white dressed Raven in the center, panting a bit with the effort.

"Raven?" Arella asks.

"It is ok mom, I'm me again." Raven replies with relief in her voice.

"Oh, thank Azar!" Arella cries before embracing her daughter. "I was so worried."

"It's ok mom, thank you for staying." Raven says as she returns the hug.

"It will take more than a little mental instability to have us abandon you again." Hemon says with a smile.

"So sister, what is all of this?" Diana asks after Raven and Arella releases each other after a few moments of embrace.

"Oh, sorry Diana, welcome to Azerath."

"Or more precisely, the spirit of Azerath." Hemon corrects. "Did J'onn not inform you of us?" He asks.

"Figured you were highly advanced mind constructs." Batman steps in before J'onn can say anything.

"Oh no, Trigon cursed Azerath before he destroyed it, cursed us to remain trapped in our dimension and left us sealed off from Azar. When Raven came back we all hid inside her, after the defeat of Trigon we elected to remain here to help Raven govern her emotions." Hemon explains.

"So Rae, is this the part where you tell us to get out?" Beastboy asks, remembering the teeth grinding woman that stared him down the last time she found him here.

"Only out of the room, I need to sort through everything that has happened this last month." Raven gives him a sad smile. "But if you want to, feel free to tour Azerath, I'm sure J'onn can take you back the same way he got you in."

They all agree to this, all out of curiosity of Raven's childhood home. As they walk Arella falls back to walk besides Batman who is walking at the back of the group, Diana is receiving an explanation of the architecture while the others are looking around themselves.

"I didn't think you were real." She says quietly without looking at him, Batman smirks on the side of his face that she can't see.

"I am." He replies shortly. "I understand you once wandered Gotham?" He asks, returning to an entry he made in his files months ago now.

"I was born in Gotham, I was known as Angela Roth back then." She says shortly.

"Can I ask how you ended up here?" He asks.

"I was born in a home where God meant more than your children, one day I couldn't take it anymore and I ran away. The first place I found kindness was the Church of Blood, and here we are." She is silent for a moment. "I wonder what they are doing now?" She asks to no one.

"Who?"

"My parents, I never heard or saw anything from them after I ran."

"If you want to, I can find out." He offers.

"Thank you, I'd like that." She says giving him a slight smile. "And thank you for the kindness you have shown my daughter, she thinks quite highly of you, you know?"

"As I do of her, but we are both too stubborn to show it openly." He says.

"I know she is. So how is fair Gotham these days? Still the dark metropolis I knew 20 years ago?" She asks, changing the subject.

"So why did Raven wear white?" Diana asks some time into the tour and Hemon having fallen silent.

"It happens when she draws on all of her emotions at once." Nightwing says from behind her. "She turns into the person she would be if she didn't have emotionally related powers."

"Yes, unfortunately she cannot remain that way for too long before they spiral out of control." Hemon sighs.

"She seemed to do ok while she was training on Themyscira." Diana notes.

"Well, having physical workouts from dawn till dusk will leave anyone tired, even emotions." Hemon smirks.

"Oh? So how did you manage to teach her?" Diana asks, wanting to know what it was that had upset Arella so much she'd label the treatment as such; Hemon visibly cringes at the question. "Hemon?"

"I…I am sorry your highness, we did it the way Azar told us to, which was not the way a child is supposed to be raised." Hemon sighs after a moment, refusing to meet the expressions of the living around him.

"They are here also here as an attempt to redeem themselves." J'onn mentions.

"You mean you hit her?" Cyborg asks with a hint of anger appearing in his voice.

"Beats the alternative." Raven's voice sounds, but she is not seen, causing more than a few turning heads. "Stop that, you're inside my head of course I can follow you without you seeing me. Think of it this way; I was not Trigons first attempt at a child, I was just the first to survive past infancy, the others died by their mothers hands or the society they were born into."

"But sister why didn't you tell us any of this?" Diana asks noticing the surprised expressions worn on the Titans faces.

"Yes, please friend Raven why did you not mention this?" Starfire continues.

"What's done is done and it cannot be changed. Also I don't want to be pitied for it, it was necessary if I was to live at all." Raven replies.

"It happened years ago and cannot be changed. Unfortunately it is also true she had to go through it to be the person we know today." Batman says while looking at the others.

"Also I am grateful for it now, even if I did not understand why back then. And they are making up for it now. So please, do not be angry with them." Raven adds.

"Only because you say so Rae." Nightwing sighs.

After a while longer, the group begins to drift apart a begins exploring Azerath on their own, with Diana, Bruce and J'onn being led on by Hemon and Arella to see the Grand Temple of Azar. Nightwing however is not as much interested in the place as he ducks into a dark alleyway.

"_Rae? Do you have a second?"_ He asks mentally.

"_I have many?"_

"_I was just wondering when I saw your emotions in the chamber and when I asked about it, is there really not one of you that is Hope?"_

"_You saw the seven primal emotions. There is a Hope, but she is, complicated."_

"_She is not a Primal?"_

"_Not exactly, it is an emotion meant for self-aware beings. Animals don't have it for example. But as I know you will no doubt ask, Hope is always with me, even when I don't see her. You can find her in the city if you want to, and you probably know what she looks like."_ The last part is added with something akin to amusement.

"_So you're not just going to send her my way?"_ Nightwing asks while smirking.

"_Why make it easy for you?"_ She asks, with the amusement still present.

"Tell me friend Cyborg, can you show pictures you have taken in the real world?" Starfire asks.

"Sure I can Star, why do you ask?" He asks while stopping, he had felt his old friend had danced around the question since they separated from the others.

"I wish to know what has become of me." She says while looking into his eyes, Cyborg feels his stomach drop.

"Are you sure you want to?" He asks; Starfire nods at him. "Ok, but not here." He says before leading her back the way they came, he had noticed the main gate a while back. When they get there and are out of sight of the ghostly inhabitants Cyborg turns to face her again. "You may want to sit down."

"No, I will stand." She says stubbornly.

"Ok." He sighs and pops open the small screen housed in his arm and begins replaying the events from when they were exchanging Blackfire for Star. "Raven wouldn't let us look at you when she received you." He mentions as Raven floats up on the ship with Starfire wrapped in her cloak. "The next part is how we escaped Tamaran." He says wanting to play fast forwards.

"No please I want to see." Starfire insist, seeing Raven disappear after putting her in the pod. "Is that Raven?" She asks in surprise as Raven appears again in her demonic form with Blackfire slung over her shoulder.

"Remember the dragon we once fought?" He asks and receives a nod. "He came back about a year ago, at Slades command, and attacked Raven in Jump, the thing did something to her, so now she looks like that when not maintaining her old shape."

"Did you not assist her?"

"Me, Nightwing and Beastboy arrived at the aftermath. The dragon is dead; Raven blew a hole in his chest big enough for us to walk though. She vanished for a year after that, trying to find a way to reverse the spell it cast on her and to find out what to do now that the Tower is a hole in the ground. I can show you later what we did in Jump City." He says as the ship passes Okaara on the screen, Cyborg has set it to play faster, knowing the whole ordeal took hours.

Starfire gasps as the blast that knocks Nightwing out hits the ship.

"_Hey ya poozers, need a hand?"_ Kilowog voice is heard before the green glow surrounds the ship and the events that follow it.

"I am confused friend Cyborg, who is that? And why does friend Raven appear to know him?" Starfire asks, internally trying to place the planet, Mogo, on the screen.

"She does, look." They see Raven recite the Lantern Oath and flies off. "Raven was dropped off on that planet there, as a part of Green Lantern's test, something happened and Raven decided to ambush them when he returned with a few others. While there, she ran into one of the Lantern's enemies and those that lead them and a made a few arrangements with them, which is why they were there when we came to get you. We figured your sister wouldn't let you, or us, leave peacefully after she spent a month in a cell on Earth."

"Is…is that me?" Starfire asks as Cyborg's hand is seen pulling Ravens hood off Starfire's head.

"I'm sorry star, but that is what you looked like when we got you." He is taken aback when Starfire's appearance changes to look more like the starved person on the screen. "Star?"

"Please continue." She says with water forming in her eyes as she floats to the ground. "I had not seen my image since I left Earth."

She continues watching in silence as the two conscious Titans begin bandaging her most recent wounds and the speculation if Raven can do anything to aid her. She continues to watch as Raven returns and her treatment of Blackfire and the seething remark from Nightwing that sends Blackfire away with a scream.

"Who is that?" She asks as Ganthet appears.

"He is one of the leaders of the Green Lanterns, after handing over Blackfire, Raven asked if there was anything they could do for you."

"He could?" She continues.

"He couldn't, even if, according to Raven, he can crack a planet in half with his mind. But they let us borrow a very skilled surgeon, trust me, you don't want to see it." She nods at this as he skips to the part where they are putting her in the League satellite. "Rae set to work as soon as she could get us out of the room, but after hours of trying, Nightwing had to drag her away from you."

"She looks irritated." Star notes as she sees one of Ravens attempts at healing her.

"She was frustrated she couldn't heal your senses, we agreed she shouldn't try and wake you before we at least could get your sight or voice back. But apparently you woke up anyways." He says as the image of the two crying women is shown on the screen.

"I felt something warm and familiar stir me, like I was being called." She explains as the last image of her in the hospital grown and the bandage over her eyes as she stumbles down the corridor. "I could feel something was wrong before I got up."

"Figured it might be like that, well that's all." He says while lowering his arm and begins looking over out at the red stars.

"There is one other thing I would like to know." She says drawing his attention back to her. "I have read much about the Wonder Woman and the stories about her people, but I have never met any other than her here."

"You want to know more about them?" He asks. "Well I will show you some pictures I took of the ones we went with, but I won't show you anything from the place we pulled Raven from, not yet at least."

"They look, intimidating." She notes at the picture of the armored women lining up in the Tower of Fate.

"They are; that one would give Speedy a hard time with the bow she uses." He says while pointing at Antiope. "The short haired one is a blacksmith. That one is a magician and the one in spiky armor is their unarmed combat instructor."

"What about that one?" Starfire asks pointing at Artemis.

"She teaches armed combat, and is the grumpiest of them all, thought she was going to kill me and B when we first met her, they don't like men, at all." Victor notes. "I think we should wait till Rae green lights showing stuff from inside Tartarus. But from there, I can tell you, those girls know how to fight."

"Perhaps I can visit them one day when I am feeling better?" Starfire asks hopefully.

"Maybe, but you should ask Wonder Woman about that." Cyborg says with a smirk, reckoning that the Amazons would be Starfire's kind of people, warriors.

"What are you looking for?" Batman asks as he, J'onn and Diana joins Nightwing who has been all over the place.

"Hope, I'm looking for the emotion." He says while he keeps scanning everyone around him.

"Isn't it supposed to be with Raven?" Diana asks, having gotten it explained to her how Ravens head works.

"Not according to Raven, Hope is here in the city and always is." He replies as he enters the square with the statues again.

"She could be pulling your leg you know?" Diana continues.

"I doubt it. Raven usually sticks with sarcasm."

"You wound me Richard." Raven adds from above. "But since you're having such trouble finding her, here's a hint, she's in this square."

"Gee, thanks for your faith in me." Nightwing replies with a smirk.

"I think I know who it is." J'onn says as he spots the small child he's met weeks ago, standing near a wall and looking at them. "Am I not right?"

"You win a cookie when you get out of here." The child says, with smile. "But then again, we have met before." Nightwing could have knocked his head against a wall with the revelation; he had passed the child several times without realizing it is a mirror image of Raven when he retrieved from Trigon's realm.

"She looks different from the others." Diana notes.

"Well I am different from the other emotions." Hope says. "As I told Nightwing, I am not really a primal emotion, but I am strong enough to rival them."

"But why appear as a child?" J'onn asks.

"Well, I like the irony that I had given up all hope of defeating Trigon alone, yet I still hoped my friends could pull it off. And that I really was this size when I realized I could still fight him." The small emotion says.

"Also this has become her realm after that day." Hemon says as he appears in the square.

"Azerath?" Nightwing asks.

"Yup, I kinda thought it fitting since they were the first to hope that Trigon could be undone." Hope continues.

"I bet you thought I was amusing to see me storming around?" Nightwing asks.

"Well not me, but Happy did. Anyways, I think it is time you got back to the real world. Don't worry, I'll follow you shortly."

"I think so too." J'onn says. "A pleasure meeting you again Hemon."

"And you J'onn, and the rest of you." Hemon says as they all fade away.

"Well, that was interesting." Diana notes as they get off the floor from the seated positions J'onn had them sit in; Raven is now floating peacefully over the bed.

"Well, I don't know what it was you did, but whatever it was seems to have worked; she's mending just fine, and rapidly." Mid-Night mentions as he steps inside. "We better get Starfire back to bed before she catches something." He notes at the skeletal girl that is being assisted to her feet by Diana.

"So did all of that work?" Beastboy asks, eyeing the floating Raven. "I mean, is she 'non-insane' now?"

"I was traumatized Garfield, not insane." Raven replies as her form floats down onto the bed before she opens her eyes. "Ow, what happened?" She asks, noticing the numerous injuries she is sporting. "No, wait its coming back now...the Birds….Lobo…." She groans before her eyes roll back into her head and she falls over backwards.

"Raven!" Nigtwing cries in alarm.

"Calm down!" Mid-night says from the room next to them. "Scanners say she is just fine, she is still healing."

"The memories caught up with her waking mind." Batman continues. "Give her time."

* * *

**Authors Notes: **Was a bit longer than the usual, hope thats ok :)

R&R


	17. Restoring Starfire

"Dinah, will you please just tell me what happened back there." Raven says, slightly agitated by Dinah's attempts to cotton-veil what happened to her a few days ago, Dinah sighs.

"All right, somehow Mercy Graves found out we were inside the complex and called up Lobo, their guard dog, when we got too close to whatever they were hiding. We got detained till you showed up and got us out. Before you could follow us out through the portal you opened, Lobo pulled you away." Dinah replies from her seat, she had been surprised when the request came from Raven to tell her what had happened to her. Waking up in a hospital bed sporting a host of broken bones, Raven wanted answers since she could not remember how she got them, for once Memory had failed her. "The rest you will have to ask Superman about." She finishes, Raven sighs.

"So how are you and the others?" Raven asks after a nod, having been told there were injuries amongst the Birds.

"Zinda has a broken jaw after trying to shoot Lobo at close range, Spencer has a few deep gashes in her legs after he pulled her out through the wall and Helena is covered in bruises after the fall."

"How about you?"

"Only a few minor bruises, really." She will only admit to herself and Mid-Night that she has felt better. Even after the two days that had passed, there are still bruises to be seen on her back that still hurt.

"I should go see them." Raven says as she pushes herself up, getting halted by Dinah who almost falls out of her seat to stop her.

"Oh no you don't Amazon." Mid-Night had been quite insistent that Raven should rest for at least three days before she could do anything, something that had Raven twitching an eyebrow in annoyance. But having pointed out her own injuries, which counted a broken arm and both legs along with a fracture along her spine, she was forced to agree. The lacerations she had suffered after getting towed after Lobo's bike had healed up after a matter of hours though. "They will heal just fine and you took more clobbering than any of us, stay here and I'll get the Boy Scout." She says with a smirk at the nickname, Raven just sighs.

"Did I hear someone mention me?" Superman asks as a blast of wind heralds his speedy arrival at the doorway, making Dinah jump away from the doorway.

"How did you do that?!"

"I just got up here." He says with a smile at her before turning to Raven. "How are you doing?"

"Battered, bruised…restless, the usual" She replies offhandedly, having to repeat this often to all her visitors, which to her surprised there had a lot of and made her very uncomfortable when people she didn't even know up started to show up. "So I hear you are the only one who can tell me how I ended up her?"

"We'll that would be because I brought you up here. Cya Dinah." He says as the blonde exit's the room.

"Cya Supes, get well Raven, and stay in bed!" Raven rolls her eyes as the woman disappears, Superman take up the now vacant seat.

"Lobo tried throwing a car at you but his poor aim ended up endangering a single mom and her two kids. When the car hit you instead it took you through the outer wall of the building behind you, we are not sure why, but the building partially collapsed on top of you."

"Explains why I can still pick out concrete and gravel from my hair." Raven says.

"You got Lobo pretty steamed as he began digging you out, I got hold of him as he was about to break your other arm. After he had waved off Lois Lane who happened to be passing by."

"Guess I will have to thank her for at least saving me one arm. Did you get him?"

Superman sighs. "No, apparently the same device that teleported whatever LexCorp was working on out was employed again and Lobo was taken away." Now Raven sighs again.

"Was anyone besides me injured?"

"Nothing major, which is a small miracle when Lobo is involved; he practically lives to injure others. So how long are you ordered to stay here?" He asks

"Until tomorrow at least, but I feel fine. Why?"

"One second then." He says before he zooms out of the room, Raven stares after him for several seconds, before a man appears in the doorway wearing a blue suit and pants with a white shirt underneath and a red tie. Also he is wearing a pair of round glasses that gives him a slightly geeky appearance.

"Hi, Clark Kent, Daily Planet. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions." He asks in a pleasant voice Raven places to come from the Mid-Western.

"That, is a nice disguise Superman, if you hadn't just left I wouldn't have known it was you." Raven says giving him a smirk, it was true, Clark Kent neither sounded nor looked exactly like Superman. She guesses he pitches his voice lower, stands up straight and tenses up when he is the Man of Steel. "But it seems like I'm trapped?" She asks.

"Well, not really." He says while sitting down again. "Lois wrote an article on the 'selfless sacrifice of the redskinned woman' and since I carried you off, my editor has been bugging both me and her to pin you down somehow for an exclusive, since you are a new face in the League." Raven can sense the amusement leaking through him.

"You're doing this to spite her aren't you?" She asks.

"Friendly professional rivalry, but she expects me to do the interview before I hand it over to her."

"Won't that be a bit suspicious, I mean, she has only seen me unconscious."

"Perry, our editor, knows we have some way of getting the information, but he knows not to ask how we get it." He says with a smirk. "We could set up a meeting with you and Lois?"

"Well if we stick to our old agreement, she would be limited to watching."

"Ah yes, I forgot about that." Superman says as he slaps his forehead.

"Well with all that's been going on around me, I can't blame you."

"So can a lowly reporter have a comment on the events in Metropolis?" He asks with a smile, letting her know he won't actually expect any.

"Only that I hope that no one was injured during the incident." He gives a chuckle at this. "And I would ask if it's possible to have some reading material, I'm getting bored with just sitting here."

"No one showed you the TV that's in here?" He asks.

"TV?" He gives a smirk and walks over to the wall at the foot of her bed and presses a square tile, which lights up the wall, revealing a screen. He flips open another panel aside and digs out a remote and a keyboard.

"Well, computer is a better term. But enjoy." He says before bidding her farewell and walks out the room, leaving Raven to stare at a screen warming up before showing a log on screen. Punching in the password and name she had been issued before leaving for Tamaran, Raven suddenly has all the information she will need.

_Later:_

"See someone finally showed you this?" Mr. Terrific notes from a small window on Raven's screen.

"Yeah, so what can I do for you?" Raven asks, she has spent the last few hours culling all the information she has been missing out on since Tartarus. She guesses they didn't show her this because the information is making her itch to get out. Zatanna is reported missing under suspicious circumstances, but that was a footnote to Raven. More worrying is that someone broke into Arkham two weeks ago and freed Joker, Scarecrow, Slade and Light amongst others. Other villains and heroes have been reported missing as well, much like Batman has concluded, it all stinks of being connected. What really sets Raven off was the finding of a note that someone had managed to break into S.T.A.R. Labs in Jump City and run off with Malchiors huge corpse.

"I have a monarch waiting on the other line for you." The dark man smirks as Ravens eyes grow wide knowing who it must be.

"Well, don't keep her waiting!" Terrific smiles again as his image fades and the entire screen is taken up by Hippolyta's image; Raven begins scrambling to stand up in the other woman presence.

"No need to get up sister." Hippolyta makes her freeze before relaxing again. "I heard that you have recovered from your ordeal?"

"I have, at least from Tartarus." Raven replies.

"Good, though I am displeased that you appear to have sustained injury since then." Hippolyta says with a stern voice.

"Sorry, but an oaf called Lobo wanted to harm someone else. Even in my tattered state of mind, I could not allow that to happen." Raven says in a tone that transmits that she would do it again if needed.

"Which is commendable; I have a task for you if you are ready to receive it?" Hippolyta continues without a shift in her tone, telling Raven she had actually expected her reply.

"More than ready." Raven says.

"Good, a week from now the President of America is arranging a ball for foreign dignitaries. As you may know; Diana is Themyscira's ambassador to the world and she is to attend, if nothing more pressing arises. I will task you to go with her as our second representative and to make sure Diana does not come to harm."

"Not to question your judgment Your Highness, but is there not one better suited than me? Someone who knows Themyscira and her politics better than I do?" Raven asks, admitting that she knows next to nothing of Themyscira's politics.

"Which is why I will bid you return to Themyscira for proper education in this matter."

"Then I cannot refuse." Raven says. "But I have one matter which I need to address before I can return."

"I would hear of this?" Hippolyta says after a moment's contemplation.

"If you will excuse me, it is easier if I show you." Hippolyta nods and Raven disappears and reappears a moment after and puts Starfire in her bed while standing up herself, having spent the last two days mending her legs means they are still a little sore. "This is Princess Starfire, one of my first friends I made on Earth. Nightwing, Beastboy, Cyborg and I retrieved her from her home planet a few days before the battle. Before my time on Themyscira, we were all led to believe that she had returned home years ago to become their new monarch. We learned the day before I came to Themyscira that she had in reality been imprisoned and abused for four years. Right now, she can't hear, see or speak as a result of the abuse. When the call came from you to defend the Gate, I was trying to find a means to cure some of them."

"I see, you wish to find this cure first?" Hippolyta asks.

"I don't need to, I know where to find it, but I don't know how long casting it will take." She explains.

"Very well, I will allow it if you can begin today. I will see you shortly Sister." Hippolyta says before closing the line, Raven immediately gets Mr. Terrific back on her screen.

"I need to get hold of Fate." She says shortly.

"Coming right up." He replies cheerfully.

"Hello?" Fate's voice is registered as a vibrating green line as he doesn't have a visual communicator.

"Hello Doctor, it's Raven, I was wondering if you have The Medicinarium of Barsoom in your library?" She asks.

"I hear you are feeling better." He notes. "Luck would have it that you buried it at the bottom of your pile of not read books, you have gotten new insight?"

"Apollo buried the knowledge of where to find the information I need in my head when I spoke to the three on Themyscira."

"I will bring it up to you, good to hear you are back to normal." He adds.

"Thank you and I am in your debt for braving Tartarus for me." She says sincerely, knowing she is indebted to a lot of people now.

"Think nothing of it, braving the supernatural is after all what I do." He replies before he appears in the doorway surrounded by his glowing ankh carrying a huge book with him before he puts away his communicator. "The book you requested." He says as the tome floats over to her.

"Thank you. Watch, this is how I learned magic from a dragon." She says, knowing she has no time to read the book manually as she prefers, letting a black lightning link the stone on her forehead with the book for a second before it disappears again. "There, book read. And now I have to ask if you have these ingredients." She asks the mage, who begins writing down on a conjured block of paper.

"I must caution; it is a dangerous way to read. And you say you learned it from Malchior?" He asks while going over the list she had asked for.

"He was impatient to get out and he had an entire library for me to read. Sadly all those books were burnt along with the tower." She sighs getting a nod from the mage.

"You are fortunate, the ingredients are all some I have in abundance, I will return with them shortly." He says before he disappears, Raven turns to Starfire who is sitting quietly on Ravens bed and closes her eyes and enters hear mind.

"Star?" She asks before getting hugged from behind.

"Oh friend Raven I am so happy you are yourself again." Starfire squeals.

"I'm going to feel even better in a little while. Star I have found a way to restore your senses." Raven says before Starfire lets go, allowing her friend to face her, who immediately notices the changes in her appearance. "Cyborg showed you how you look?" She asks, knowing Cyborg had been with Starfire in Azarath but not what they were doing.

"He did, I insisted on knowing." She says. "But is it really true? You can restore me?"

"Your senses, yes, I have found something we can use. Just sit tight, I have to go summon the others." She says before noticing the sad expression Starfire is giving her. "What's wrong?"

"I was thinking about what might become of me after I receive your gift?" Starfire asks and Raven raises and eyebrow at her in puzzlement. "In my condition I am unable to aid you as I once did." She explains getting a nod from Raven as she gets the problem; in her current condition Star wasn't in any shape to go superheroing.

"Then we get you back into shape, so you can." She replies. "But let's fix one thing at a time, shall we?" She asks with a smile.

"Let's." Starfire replies before she hugs Raven once more.

_Later:_

"So are you sure this is going to work?" Speedy asks from the doorway he is sharing with the three other male Titans.

"Unless Apollo or the book has a cruel sense of humor or I mess it all up, yes, it will work." Raven says as she draws symbols into the small piles of ash, sand and crystals surrounding the bed where Starfire is resting. There have been dawn symbols onto the walls in something that looks like red paint and a special kind of incense is burning in three small pots of clay. "And no Beastboy I am not copying this from a movie you once saw." She says as her back is turned to the men, Nightwing and Cyborg chuckles at how well she know Beastboy as he was about to say something.

"So why the hurry?" Nightwing asks.

"A royal command, I'm afraid. If I don't begin now, I won't be able to do it for at least a week." She says without turning.

"And why is that?" Cyborg asks.

"Queen Hippolyta wants me to go back Themyscira to prepare for something official." She says wanting to remain vague about it because of the outbursts that would follow it.

"She is accompanying me to the Presidents Ball for foreign dignitaries." Diana says form behind them, startling them; inwardly Raven curses Diana for that one but keeps working.

"You're what? You're going to that?!" Speedy asks.

"Hippolyta wants me to act as a second to Diana." Raven says. "But I have to go back to Themyscira to have a lecture on its politics, wouldn't want me to say something stupid to the wrong person. Ok, I am ready in here, I'll ask you to be quiet or close the door while I work." She says as she finishes and takes up her meditative position at the foot of the bed. "And whatever happens, don't interrupt me."

"Dr. Fate I really must protest to all of this, neither of them are in a state for such a test." Mid-Night complains as he follows the magician to the room before he sees it. "Oh dear, I hope someone is going to clean that up." He sighs when he sees the once sterile room.

"Raven is more than healed Pieter and Starfire is about to be." Fate says as he dismisses the other mans worry before ordering him to silence with a gesture.

Raven closes her eyes as she first begins mumbling in an ancient tongue, her voice gradually rises in intensity as the symbols begin glowing in warm colors. First pulsing slowly but picking up speed along with Raven's chanting. After five minutes of chanting, the symbols glow without pulsing before their glow is caught up in a phantom wind that sends both glows and materials flying around the bed. At this stage Raven's chanting changes into a new line of words as she opens her eyes, revealing to all present their blazing white intensity. Five minutes after this, Raven is shouting the words she needs, as sweat is making its way down her forehead. Slowly the streams of materials circling them reach inwards and centers themselves onto Starfire's chest. Again Raven's chanting changes into three words that the Titans instantly recognize as her mantra when she needed to focus.

"AZERATH! METRION! ZINTHOS!" She cries over and over till a crump and a blast of light blinds the spectators momentarily.

"Ow." Beastboy complains as he rubs his eyes.

"Did it work?" Speedy asks.

"Rae?" Nightwing asks. A they regain their sight, they see Raven lying slumped against the wall opposite the bed with wide open eyes, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"Rae you alright?" Cyborg asks.

"Exhausted." She manages as she tries to calm her breathing while trying to get up, which she succeeds with a groan. The other Titans pile into the room to see the results, Starfire seems unaffected.

"You sure that worked?" Beastboy asks.

"Wait, the spell is not instantaneous, if performed correctly the wounds should be healing in a few seconds now." Fate mentions from the doorway.

"He's right." Cyborg says as he sees the holes under Starfire's eyelids gradually filling out. Starfire gasps as she opens her eyes, now completely healed before shutting them again. "Someone dim the lights a bit." He says, and someone does.

"Starfire can you hear us?" Nightwing asks.

"I hear you, I hear me, I see you." Starfire says as she opens her eyes slowly again as her eyes widen and a wide smiles make away across her face."It has been too long since I have last seen you."

"Welcome back Star." Raven says with a tired smile as Starfire starts crying in joy.

"I must say you all look so different from what I remember." Starfire says as they have all moved to the cantina as some of them were getting hungry. "But you friend Raven, you have changed the most."

"Well considering all the stuff that's been going down the last two months, I'd say those changes aren't all bad." Cyborg says as he is leaning back in his seat, since regaining her sight Starfire has needed a lot of explaining about all the new things around her, something Beastboy had taken up before Nightwing could.

"Who would?" Beastboy asks.

"I still have a hard time getting my head around that you're and Amazon now." Speedy says, getting a tired smirk from Raven.

"So I guess this is Titan Table?" A female voice says, the group looks up and sees Bumblebee standing in the entrance with Herald following behind her. Unlike the others she seems to have put on weight since they last saw her, while Herald looks more worn.

"B? Herald? What are you two doing here?" Cyborg asks as he gets up to greet his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend with a hug and handshake respectively.

"Oh not much Sparky, we are just here for the tryouts. Ain't that why you are here?" She asks as she looks at the group that gives her a puzzled look, before her eyes fall on Starfire and Raven. "Star? Rae? Is that really you?"

"Oh yes friend Bumblebee it is us." Starfire says happily as she gets up, revealing her still somewhat malnourished and scarred body before she hugs Bumblebee.

"Jeez girl, what happened to you?!" Bumblebee asks clearly shocked at Starfire's condition.

"I…umm… it is a long floor." Bumblebee looks at her in confusion.

"Umm, story, it is." Nightwing adds.

"And Rae? Where have you been girl? Ow." Raven plays a small joke by squeezing Bumblebee in a hug that leaves her blue in the face. "Damn, I thought Star was supposed to do that?" She heaves.

"A lot has changed, but if you have time, we would love to swap stories." Speedy says.

"Maybe afterwards, so when are you up?" She asks.

"We aren't up?" Beastboy says with crooking an eyebrow.

"You're not here for the League tryouts?" Herald asks.

"Only one here that's been tried out is Raven." Nightwing says, equally mystified. "What's this all about?"

"We got a letter a few days ago that the League is trying out the old Titans and that Herald and I were invited." Bumblebee explains. "Haven't you got one?" She asks.

"Raven got admitted a month ago, Speedy has been here for I don't know how long. But everything has been pretty hectic for us here." Nightwing continues.

"There you are Sister, I am afraid I have to be the evil one and drag you away." Diana says as she walks into the cantina.

"Coming, well I will see you in a week or something." Raven says as she gives the others a tired smile before following after Wonder Woman. "Nice seeing both of you again." She says to Bumblebee and Herald.

"I shall miss you friend Raven!" Starfire yells after her with a wave.

"Umm, did I just miss something?" Herald asks as his girlfriend stares after the long gone pair of Amazons.

"Only that Raven is an official Amazon that's all." Beastboy shrugs while giving a broad smile, the pair stares at him before the confirming nods from the others make their jaws crash to the floor.


	18. Politics of Paradise

"I wonder if they will all be that surprised." Diana asks as she starts up the engine of her plane.

"I'd say yes." Raven says from behind her. "You know, I never really got to say thank you for coming after me?"

"You would do the same for me." Diana says.

"I would, I just hope I won't have to pull you out of such a place. So what are these lectures like?"

"Long and tedious, fortunately my mother knows her people well enough not to coop them up for hours in the library without breaks." Diana thinks back to when she had the lectures; it was very boring back then. "Don't worry; we will have time for some training, I think the others are going to insist on it actually."

"Can't wait." Raven replies already getting a warm feeling inside she realizes is actual happiness.

"So where is Cerberus these days?" Diana asks as they begin entering the atmosphere.

"Oh bugger." Raven sighs with the sudden reminders she actually has a dog. "Forgot I left him with Oracle."

"Oracle?" Raven asks after activating her communicator.

"_Raven? Oh good to hear you're ok."_ Is the relieved reply from the other end, making Raven feel bad for not making contact sooner. _"You had us all worried sick down here."_

"Sorry, umm, I think I left someone with you?" Raven asks

"_Don't worry Cerberus is behaving, better than any other dog I've ever known."_ Barbara replies.

"Yeah, umm can I ask you keep an eye on him for a few hours more, I've been recalled to Themyscira, I should be able to come get him after we land."

"_How long you staying over there?"_ Barbara asks.

"A week or so I think."

"_We'll we should be able to handle him for that long, he seems to like Zinda, since she is incapacitated for the time being."_ Oracle says. _"It's the least I can do since you pulled my Birds out of the fire."_

"I still haven't thanked you for forcing me to go to therapy." Raven mentions.

"_It was a favor to Bruce, don't worry I will contact the good doctor."_

"Thank you Barbara."

"_Don't sweat it Raven, good luck over there."_ Oracle says before closing the line.

As they are about to land on the circular platform, they spot a familiar group of women waiting for them.

"Sisters, what a surprise." Diana says in amusement as she pops open the cockpit of her plane.

"Sister Raven, are you…well?" Philipus asks carefully, ignoring Diana.

"Other than having a long list of people I feel indebted to for saving me, I am fine." Raven says as she steps out of the ship. "The group that came after me in Tartarus most of all."

"I'd go again if we can hear Hades scream like that." Artemis says as Raven finds herself surrounded and hugged before they all walk her to the library.

"And before we leave you, Hippolyta asked me to give you this." Io says and hands Raven a sword she had been carrying with her before the group leaves her in the library, it had been an almost teary reunion, where Raven had to repeat several times that she was not just faking being ok. Raven just stares at the blade she is being handed.

"Umm thanks, but what am I going to do with it?" She asks.

"If you are well, you will know." Antiope says over her shoulder before the group disappears, Raven looks after them first and then at the four guards stationed in the room as they silently retreat from the room as well, which sets Raven's alarm bells off, to her it smells like a setup. She begins using her senses to scan the room for anything that appears to be hostile, find only a scrambled sense of anticipation. Something inside her screams at her to move and she complies just in time before a silver armored shape cleaves the spot she was standing in with a long sword.

"You're fast." The hollow female voice sound from within the armor, as the figure stands up. It is an Amazon wearing one of the finely crafted silver suits Raven herself wore a month ago when they faced Tartarus' hordes. Only this suit has an added face plate that hides the identity of the wearer, it could be modeled on a man or a woman but it's hard to tell, its only feature is the sad expressing the eyes and mouth gives and the tear on its left cheek, like a Tragedy mask. "Let's see how fast!" The figure says before rushing Raven with her raised blade.

The library rings with the clash of the swords as Raven desperately tries to fend off the warrior and get herself some room to launch her own attacks. If it wasn't because of the difference in height, she would have thought it was Artemis hiding behind the armor. The two are silent while exchanging blows, the warrior is not talkative and Raven is too busy staying alive. The two end up straining against each other, Raven holding back an overhead chop with her own sword and her back against a bookcase, again noticing the strength of her opponent. While not the ideal conditions, it gives Raven the pause she needs to focus on something other than dodging and parrying. Her eyes blaze with dark power and the armored warrior is sent flying to the far side of the circular room while being separated from her weapon, scraping the marble floor as she lands on her back before she rolls back and lands on her feet, facing Raven who is now wielding two swords.

The two face off against each other for a few seconds, Raven letting her opponent have the chance to yield without being asked. Receiving none, Raven goes on the offensive and rushes across the room and begins raining blows down on her opponent who deflects them all using her bracelets as shields. Even thought she is quickly tiring Raven keeps up the attacks, her own stubborn determination won't let her give up just because of exhaustion. The other warrior is apparently just biding her time as she deflects the blows sent at her. Again they end up straining against each other, this time with the warrior crossing her bracelets in front of her, straining against the two swords pushing against them. This time it is Raven that is caught off guard as the warrior pushes against her and throws her arms wide, sending Raven flying back. She only just hits the ground before she uses her powers to vanish as the woman cracks the stone where she had been lying with a fist, the warrior stands looking at the spot for a second before some other sense has her spin around and raising her guard just in time to deflect the attacks from the spinning form of Raven that comes towards her like a horizontal whirlwind. The warrior is forced backwards as Raven uses her powers to keep herself in the air. Again extending her powers she lets it control the blades as she rolls onto the floor into a ball before extending herself and puts her boots onto the chest armor of the other woman sending her crashing into the bookcase behind her. Less than a second later; the warrior finds herself looking into Ravens eyes as she stands before her, holding one sword idly In one hand and the other hovering just in front of her throat. The warrior nods.

"I yield." She sighs; Raven waits a second before removing the sword, letting the warrior rise. She spins around as someone applauds from behind her.

"Bravo, it seems Man's World really has cured your mind." Hippolyta says as she enters the library and approaches the two combatants who lower their gazes at her. "You may remove your helmet sister." The warrior quickly starts undoing the strap holding the helmet on before pulling it off with both hands, revealing a black haired woman.

"Diana?" Raven asks in disbelief, the woman looks almost exactly like Diana.

"Donna Troy. Pleasure to meet you Sister." The woman says while smiling and extending a hand, which Raven shakes after taking both swords in one hand.

"You were the one on my right side when the gate was opened?" Raven asks, remembering a silver armored warrior there.

"I was." She says while running a hand through her long hair. "Good fight."

"Good fight." Raven agrees, wondering if she means the one just taken place or the one a month ago.

"Indeed, thank you Donna for volunteering." Donna bows at Hippolyta before she exits the chamber, taking the swords with her. "Now then, since I see you have regained yourself. We can begin." Hippolyta says motioning at a seat at the single table in the library. "Yes?" She asks as Raven raises a hand.

"May I go change?" Raven asks as she is still in her cloak and the leotard Batman had issued her with.

"Alas we are behind schedule, you will have to endure." Raven nods before taking a seat. "Now then I hope you will pay attention to what I have to say." Hippolyta begins before going on to outline Themyscira's positions on various subjects, allowing Raven to question a few or explaining in depth as to why.

One of the first things Raven was informed of was that when she is attending the ball; her own opinions were nullified in favor of Themyscira's to which Raven nodded in agreement. She is released after the 5 hour lecture as the sun is about to set, carrying a book with her Hippolyta saw fit that she should study for some insight for some of her questions.

Being hungry and thirsty, since nothing had been provided to either her or Hippolyta during the lecture, she makes her way down to the small mess hall she and her friends frequented. Without saying anything she is handed a ceramic tray with the usual bread and dried meat along with a flask of water, Raven takes one whiff and finds it is the godswater again. Finding a vacant table she drops down and begins munching away, unaware of the solitary figure before it sits herself down in front of her.

"Always tell her when you want a break." Raven looks up at the voice, finding Donna sitting there; she has changed out of the armor and into a tight black outfit that looks as if it was a part of the night sky with the twinkling of the material. Raven swallows her food before replying.

"I was under the impression we were fighting the clock."

"That's just her usual way of making us think it will be a quick affair." Donna smirks.

"Means I've been bushwhacked twice in one day." Raven sighs before taking a swing of her water. "Mind if I say it but; I didn't unaware that Diana had a sibling?" She asks, after having a good look at Donna, she has come to the realization that she does look like Diana, minus a few years, taking a guess Raven estimates her to be around her own biological age. Of course being ageless, Donna could be well over a hundred years for all Raven knows.

"We aren't related, Diana saved me from a fire that claimed my parents and brought me here while I was younger. I'm just lucky I share many of Diana's traits. So how did you end up here?" She asks.

"Remarkably many." Raven notes. "Well the short version, I had to prove myself to Diana after an incident with the Justice League, to do that she had me come here for training. Turns out Zeus and Ares had some plans that trumped both Diana's and Hippolytas. Zeus apparently wants me here and instructed Magala to slip me this." She says while handing Donna the jug. "And Ares wanted me for his own."

"Wife?" Donna asks with a smirk before smelling to the water.

"Champion. The bastard made me believe I was living as an Amazon three thousand years ago." She sighs.

"So you are the unfortunate one." Donna muses to herself. "I'm sorry I only really heard about you after the battle at the gates."

"You don't live here?" Raven asks in surprise.

"New York." Donna says with a smile. "The gods have blessed me with a lesser version of Diana's abilities and I use them there."

"How long have you been there?" Raven asks.

"Oh a couple of years, Hippolyta insisted I had to be at least 18 before she would allow me leaving the island. If I had gotten off a year or two before, I might have joined that team called the Titans." She sigh's the last part absent mindedly.

"Can ask how old you are?" Raven asks, wondering if Donna actually knew who she was.

"22, why?"

"Well it means that you were allowed to leave the same year the original team disbanded." Raven replies. "Leaving me to defend our old city alone." Donna blinks a few times as she realizes something.

"You're **the** Raven, from Jump City?" She asks in disbelief, Raven just smirks and nods once. "I thought you were dead." She gasps.

"No, but the last fight I had there, had some very unpleasant side effects for me and my home was burned to the ground." Raven wasn't expecting to find someone who knew her from the outside world here and judging from Donna's reaction; was happy to see her.

"I heard about that, I thought you two killed each other." Donna says still in awe.

"Only him, you don't mind me saying, but you look more like Starfire's type of, well, admires?" Raven mentions.

"Well besides the laser beam stuff, I can pretty much do the same as her. Besides I always thought magic was kinda cool." She says with a smile as Raven finishes her meal. "What happened to you guys?"

"After we managed to freeze the majority of our adversaries everything died down for a long period. With nothing for us to do, petty arguments arose and eventually we decided it was time to move on before one of us, me in particular, did something stupid." She sighs; one of her fears from that day was that it was her temper tantrum that scared the others away. "Can I ask why you wanted to talk?" Donna smirks before she leans close and whispers.

"I wanted to know what it was about you that reduced Diana to tears when you saved us all from Briareos. Good night Raven, I hope to talk some more with you at a later point." She says the second part at a normal volume before leaving the stunned Raven alone.

"Diana cried?" Raven mumbles to herself before absent mindedly picking up her book and returns to her room, thinking about that single sentence till she falls asleep.

_The Watchtower:_

"So how'd it go?" Cyborg asks as he spots Bumblebee and Herald coming towards him, after the two had been called in, the others had separated, Nightwing went back to Earth, Starfire returned to bed and Beastboy opted to keep her company as a kitten.

"Well so far we made it past the round of 20 questions, but they want us to come back when Wonder Woman returns." Herald says.

"Guess they won't do the display without her." Bumblebee continues. "Wonder if we get to fight any of them?" She says with a hopeful tone.

"She wants to test herself against Wonder Woman or Hawkgirl." Herald sighs.

"Hell yeah, if Rae can take on Diana, so can I!" Cyborg chuckles at her admission. "What that Sparky? Don't think I can do it?"

"Oh nothing, we just didn't show you how she did that." He says while smiling broadly and readying the video he recorded.

"Better have it on video Sparky." Cyborg smirks at her before popping open the screen in his arm.

_Themyscira, the morning after:_

"Now then sister, I would have you repeat our views on the following subjects; whaling, global warming and matters concerning our closed borders." Hippolyta says in the library, after a much needed morning shower, breakfast and a change of clothes Raven had been called back to the palace.

"Whaling is a despicable hunt on Poseidon's great creatures and must cease at once. Global warming is real and is threatening many island nations, Themyscira included; we urge all industrialized nations of the world to realize this threat to us all and to act against it. Themyscira has remained closed off and remained hidden from the world for over three thousand years and it won't change as long as there are Amazons left to defend it. We have no interest in trading with the outside world." Raven parrots the exact words Hippolyta used yesterday, each point was made far between each other, hidden amongst other points. Raven added the last part just to see the look on Hippolyta's face, who looks surprised.

"You have a good memory." She notes. "Wish Diana and Donna had your memory, they had to spend a good few days here to remember it all." She adds with a smile, knowing Diana does have a very good memory; the problem is that they lack the attention span to pick up everything on the first go. "I have nothing left to teach you if you can remember all that I said yesterday?" Raven nods before mentioning a few very low priority stand points. "Good, then you are to go to the tailor. As you no doubt know, it is tradition that the participants of these events to dress after their country's fashion and we are no exception."

"Diana has done this before?" Raven asks.

"Last year, I may have made the mistake of sending Artemis with her. For one she has no interest in politics and she insisted on dressing like the Bana. Diana had to save her, or rather a diplomat from a country called Saudi-Arabia, from coming to blows." Hippolyta sighs, remembering the story Diana gave her when she had to explain why the two had left early. Diana was embarrassed on behalf of Artemis, who remained unapologetic, earning her a dismissal from any future political events.

"I will try and show more restraint then." Raven says with a smirk before being dismissed.

After about three hours of measurements and 'fuzzing' as Raven called what the woman was doing, she was told to return in a few days. For some reason Raven dreads only having one day between seeing the dress she is to wear and to the time she and Diana have to leave. The woman, Sabina by name, had come across her as too close to Starfire in enthusiasm when it comes to clothes. When asked about her appearance, which Raven suspected belonged somewhere in the Middle East, Sabina had revealed she was one of the last to join the Bana before they had to relocate to Themyscira. She had escaped from a slave caravan as a young girl and stumbled half-dead into the hidden city of Bana-Mighdall. Under the promise of keeping quiet, Raven was told Sabina preferred the island to the desert, something the fewest Bana do. After a brief but lonely lunch, Raven decides to sample the rest of the city, not really having had the chance to do so before as she was training.

As Raven is a distinctive person with her hair and skin color, she receives many greetings from the women she meets on her way. Some welcoming her back from Man's World and some welcoming her as an Amazon. Like in any society there are different opinions and Raven is also notified by one that there are a few that dislike her simply because she is an outsider and will always be one to them, but the speaker leaves before Raven can reply to the comment.

She is surprised to learn that Themyscira does not have an actual monetary system, with all the goods on display being free. When she asks a fruit vendor, a Sofia by name, as to how everything could function like that, she simply smiles and informs her it is because they all take turns at social chores. While they are all born warriors and take time to train as such, they all have periods where they must take their turn by going fishing, hunting or tend to the fields. The woman returns to the question with mentioning that in a few months time, their roles may be reversed, that she might come pick fruit Raven plucked. Seeing the reason behind this way of functioning, Raven asks if there are exceptions to this.

"Well Hippolyta is our ruler and only rarely takes time to join us in these chores, but she is the one that makes sure everything is running smoothly. Her personal Guard are dedicated to her protection. Then there is the Champion of the Gods, with her lengthy exile and her commitments as ambassador to Patriarchs World, but she makes up for it when she visits. And there are a few others with important functions that are excused as well, but most of them pitch in when they have time."

"So how long does these periods last?" Raven asks.

"Oh a year or so. Two season of picking fruit, then a year of soldiering and then two years of fishing or whatever you choose. Since you are new here, you have the soldering part until someone with rank tells you otherwise." Raven bids the woman farewell and vacates the square shortly afterwards, wandering the city she tours the harbor before making her way up to the quarter she remembers Artemis lives in. The place is like stepping into another world; where most of Themyscira seems to be built of marble; the buildings in the Bana Quarter are mainly made of reddish brown stone. The people seem different as well; generally they seem less happy than the rest of the island, like Artemis. Raven guesses this is where all of the Bana-Mighdall have settled, making it a city within the city.

Exiting the quarter she finds herself in a strangely quiet part of town with only a few guards on the street corners. Raven feels put off by the quiet and empty streets, which surprises her as she passes a guard.

"You look lost sister Raven?" She recognizes the voice as belonging to one of the two that found her and Artemis after they had deposited Io.

"I think I am." Raven admits.

"Well here in the fair part of town Magala has her, well, cave. And our healers reside here as well, they like the peace and quiet Magala provokes. If you keep quiet, they allow visitors." She whispers the last part.

"Thank you, twice you have helped me, but I don't know you name?" Raven replies, feeling kind of odd.

"Nu'bia, once of Bana-Mighdall, but now a proud Themysciran." She replies happily and salutes Raven. "And don't worry, Artemis' secret is still off-limits."

"I'll have to get you something for that favor." Raven smiles back. "Hope you aren't too bored standing here?"

"Oh, all in a day's job." Nu'bia replies. "But you better get going; we aren't supposed to be talking." She whispers the last part, Raven smirks and nods before she retreats, heading down the road that leads to the foot of the mountain.

As she walks into the cave at the end of the road, she decides to levitate so her footfalls, though normally quiet, won't disturb anything. Apparently that trick disturbs someone as a thump and a 'Ouf' is heard further inside the cave where the light of a fire is illuminating the walls.

"Oh it seems we have a visitor." The old voice of Magala says.

"I do not understand, I heard nothing." The slightly depleted voice of Philipus is heard in reply. As Raven steps into the single room of the cavern, she sees her friend sitting on the ground with her back turned towards her, with the cloaked shape of Magala standing between Philipus and a fireplace.

"Oh you wouldn't young one, but you felt it, yes?" Magala asks.

"Like a tickle." Philipus admits. "How did she make it look so easy?" She sighs.

"Perhaps you should ask her?" Magala replies before she lets loose a giggle that turns into a cough as she inhales some of the smoke from the fire. Philipus turns her head and spots Raven hovering a few feet over the ground.

"Sister!" She says in surprise and quickly gets up. "Has Hippolyta released you already?"

"I'm a good listener." Raven replies. "I'm I intruding?" She asks, guessing it was her levitation that put Philipus off.

"A…."

"Oh no deary. I was wondering when you would make your way down here." Magala interrupts; Raven catches a glimpse of the knowing eyes under the old woman's hood. "Recovered well from your ordeal in the pit I see."

"I have, thank you and I have Philipus to thank for her part in that."

"It is really no problem sister; I only pray that you never have to repay me in kind." Philipus says before receiving an elbow in the ribs from the crone.

"Go on ask her." Magala says, not even bothering hiding her motioning towards Raven.

"What?" Raven asks as she notices Philipus cringing.

"I…well…erm…I just remembered the first morning you were with us and we caught you meditating. I have been wondering ever since how you levitate like that?" She manages.

"In a way you can say it is my soul that feels lighter when I rid myself off all the unwanted thoughts and that I just lifts me up." Raven explains, she had herself pondered the question before, coming up with this as the most likely explanation as to why she levitates when not thinking of anything while required to do so at any other time.

"Separating body and soul is delicate art, yet you master it completely at such a young age." Magala sighs, before spotting something behind Raven and shuffles over to it, revealing it to be a green frog that hops out of the way as Magala approaches it. Magala keeps pursuing the frog as it retreats out of the cave.

"Being an oracle has ruined her mind and body." Philipus says with a hint of sadness in her voice. "When not gifted with visions from the gods, she can forcibly try to predict the future by conducting certain rituals. Hippolyta rarely asks for them anymore as it pains her to see Magala like this and knowing that each peek costs her dearly." She sighs before continuing. "One day, I will take her place. I just pray I last as long as her."

"You…you want to?" Raven asks, sensing nothing but compassion from Philipus.

"Oh yes, it was always my deepest desire to be of such service to our people." Philipus smiles at her sadly, showing that she is meaning it. Raven understands, to Philipus what Magala has done and become is a sort of martyrdom.

"I understand Sister, I just hope you won't have to regress to Magala's state."

"Come, I want you to meet some people." Philipus says after a moments silence and leads Raven out of the cave. As they come out of the cave, they can hear Magala rummaging around the bushes to their left, apparently still pursuing the frog.

"She is hiding! Where is she?!" Big Barda roars as she corners Cyborg in the cantina, he looks at the towering woman in confusion.

"Hey easy, who are you looking for?" He asks while she draws up into his face.

"That redskinned mongrel you followed up here two months ago." She grumbles, growing ever more hostile.

"Umm, Wonder Woman took her to Themyscira yesterday." Cyborg can feel the wall behind him.

"By the furies!" Barda sighs heavily. "Again I am cheated!" Cyborg notes that a brightly colored man is heading in their direction over the fuming woman's shoulder.

"Honey calm down, it's not his fault she is not here." He says as he puts a hand on her shoulder, which seems to calm her immediately. "Don't worry, you'll get your fight."

"But…?" She sighs.

"She will be back, right?" He asks while looking at Cyborg who just nods. "Now why don't you go find Orion, I'm sure he wants to spar with you in the meantime."

"Ok." She sighs before leaving, looking somewhat deflated, leaving Cyborg with the man.

"Sorry, but she has been itching for that rematch against your friend. I'm Scott Free by the way, Barda is my wife." He says before extending a hand for Cyborg to shake.

"I figured, Victor Stone. She took it personally?" He asks while shaking hands, secretly wondering how Mr. Miracle managed to woo the towering woman, much less calm her as he only comes up to her jaw line.

"As she told me, she was the first to reach your friend when she and Diana crashed into the training hall only to get swatted away without a second glaze, that was, humbling to her."

"You know, Rae wasn't in her right mind when she did that?"

"Oh you misunderstand Barda, she will fight anyone and anything, but she is used to being acknowledged, even Darkseid pays her heed, after a fashion. If we are not careful, Barda might try to provoke your friend into that state again if she refuses."

"Nice to know." Cyborg shrugs before a beeping sound makes him pop open his battery monitor. "Dang, how could I forget about that?" He says to himself.

"What's wrong?"

"Only my battery is running low, look thanks for the save back there, but I gotta go recharge." He says before heading out of the cantina.

"You run on batteries?" Scott asks as he hurries after Cyborg who gives him a strange look.

"Uh yeah?"

"Oh, I though your armor didn't need it?" Scott continues, unaware that Cyborg is getting grumpy.

"Look, I'm called Cyborg for a reason you know? This ain't something I can go take off and disappear into a crowd." Mr. Miracle finally seems to get both points that Victor is only part human and that this is not something Cyborg likes to be reminded of.

"Oh, sorry." Cyborg sighs as the man follows him into the elevator that will lead them down to the R&D part of the station where he has located a suitable recharger.


	19. General Philipus

The place is serene and almost completely silent, as if there is actually no one in the temple of Apollo. But there is, they are all just very quiet as they move around inside, while they either pray quietly or move amongst the figures lying on the beds along the walls. The temple isn't very big, perhaps only the size of the old Tower living room, with the south wall being only columns like the throne room, but here white sheets of cloth is suspended between them to shield the insides from the sun and wind. The north wall however is carved out of the mountainside, including a small store room. As Raven and Philipus enters the temple, they are quickly approached by one of priestess'; a white dressed brunet with green eyes.

"Greeting sisters, are you in need of healing?" She asks in a voice so quiet that it almost a whisper.

"No thank you, we are well Menalippe. I merely wished for sister Raven to know where the healing houses are seated." Philipus replies in a forcibly lowered voice.

"Ah, so you are the new one." Menalippe muses to herself. "I bid you welcome then Sister, please try not to disturb your Sisters." She says, for some reason Raven feels like a vulture as she takes in the place without moving from the spot before seeing the seven bedridden Amazons, it is as if Menalippe can read Ravens mind. "They are the unfortunates who were wounded by poisoned weapons, wielded by the foul beings dwelling in Tartarus. Against those wounds, we can only pray for their deliverance."

"You can't help them?" Raven asks quietly, afraid the patients will hear her.

"Only in our prayers, the poison spreads too fast for our herbs to do more than ease their pain."

"Menalippe, can I talk to you in private, if possible?" Raven asks, guessing Philipus and herself are possibly being viewed as a distraction, Menalippe nods and motions for Raven to follow her into the small storage room where they keep the herbs they use. "I remember Io mentioning you aren't, supportive of her invention?"

"Hepheasteus' machines have no place in Apollo's temple." Menalippe says quietly, Raven nods guessing the woman in front of her considers the machine Io is constructing an act of blasphemy. "But why do you ask?"

"I want to ask your permission to see if I can help."

"Man's Wold..." Menalippe begins in a flat tone bordering on the hostile.

"No, that is not what I meant." Raven interrupts. "I have my own curative powers, I can't normally do anything against diseases and normal poisons, but I may have a chance against something that is not from this world." She continues to explain, Menalippe looks surprised before regaining herself.

"I will have to ask permission before you attempt such a thing." Menalippe replies as Raven senses hope beginning to flood from the woman before she lets them both out of the room. Philipus walks over to Raven after Menelippe walks over to one of the other healers. The dark-skinned woman is obviously Menalippe's superior as her dress is more richly decorated than any of the other priestess'.

"What did you ask her?" Philipus asks.

"If I they will allow me to see if I can help the injured. Considering they are skeptical about assisting Io, I thought it best to ask." Raven replies noting the other woman looking at her over Menelippe's shoulder. Raven could hear the woman agree that it was worth a try, but only on the only conscious of the wounded Amazons, a Consivia, and that she should have a say in the matter.

"I heard from Diana you restored your friend's senses, why do you doubt?" Philipus asks.

"I had the location of the spell I used implanted into my head by Apollo and it needed a great many ingredients to perform. Also it was pretty specific." Raven explains as the two healers walk over to them.

"Sister, this is High Priestess Nione." Menalippe introduces and the three nod at each other in greeting.

"You may make the attempt Sister, but only with Consivia's consent." Nione says as Raven can feel her doubt and hope. "She is over here." She says before turning to walk them over to a dark-skinned Amazon with long curly hair who is obviously in pain, Raven had noticed it from outside of the building. "Sister Consivia, I have one here that wishes to examine your wounds." The wounded Amazon opens her brown eyes, Raven judges from the sweat on the warrior's forehead and the movement of her pupils that she is only dimly aware of the world around her. "Sister?"

"Go…go ahead." She sighs in a tired and pained voice, Menelippe lifts the sheet covering Consivia from the chest down, revealing an ugly puncture wound on the left side of her stomach. Even after so much time, the wound has yet to begin healing.

"They lapse in and out of consciousness." Nione mentions as Raven looks at the wound. "The wounds natural severity is normally an indicator how much poison was delivered. We have already lost five to wounds like these." She sighs. "I pray they have reached the Elysian Fields." Raven pushes the woman's grief out of her mind thought it pains her, she guesses that with the limited number of Amazons left alive, they all know each other and each death is a step closer to extinction for the tribe. The Consivia's wound continues to leak pus as they look; Raven wipes the lowest drop away with a finger, noting Consivia is also cold to her touch as she rubs the pus between her fingers before taking a careful whiff of it.

"I think I may be able to help." She says. "Many demons have an enormous capacity for regenerating non-fatal wounds; this poison appears to have been brewed to counter it. As a child I was taught how to draw the poison out, in case someone from below tried to use it on me." Raven explains while wiping her fingers clean in her clothing. "Sister, will you let me try?"

"Better a quick...death…than lying here." The woman says with a pained smile, somehow guessing Raven wasn't sure if she could help or make it worse. The two priestess' don't show it, but it does hurt them a little to hear their Sister say it, but they knew their temple was one the Amazons preferred not being in more than necessary, because it was a place of dying as well as healing, and dying in a sick bed was no way for an Amazon soldier to die.

"Ok, this will most likely hurt." Raven says as she sits down cross-legged besides the bed, floating above the floor while he others step back.

"I…am accustomed…to pain." Consivia continues boldly.

"It's how you know you are alive." Raven replies before closing her eyes and holding her hands over the wound.

A blue glow surrounds both Raven and Consivia. After a minute tiny particles begin floating up from the wound to Ravens fingers before disappearing. Concivia moans in pain as a purple mass the size of a golfball makes its way out of her wound, the ball floats up and disappears at Ravens touch, making her drop to the floor and the blue glow disappears.

"I need a bucket! Quick!" She says with an uneven voice, Philipus is the first to react, as the two healers stand lost in amazement, and runs into the storage room and returns with a wooden bucket. The bucket barely has time to settle on the floor before Raven has put her head into it as a mass of purple liquid is hurled into it. She continues to heave into it for a few moments, the others decide to look to the patient instead, noting Consivia is breathing easier and looks less drawn, even if she passed out.

"Sister will you be ok?" Philipus asks after Raven ceases to heave.

"I will, just need a little water." Menelippe walks over to get her a cup, which Raven uses to clean her mouth of the taste. The others note the stuff apparently also came out of Ravens nose as she looks like she has a purple nosebleed. "Thank you." She says as she hands the cup back to Menalippe.

"Impressive." Nione notes, apparently quite surprised at the result while the other priestess' are now taking ill-hidden looks at what was going on.

"Sister can you tell us what you just did?" Menelippe asks.

"In order for me to draw the poison out, I had to put it inside myself." Raven replies while sitting up looking dazed and slightly drawn. "Unfortunately I can't draw it out without doing that." She sighs.

"Is that safe?" Philipus asks.

"Not if the dose is too high in another person, if it's inside me, I don't have much choice." Raven gives them a sad smile.

"I would ask if you can do it for the others, if you do not endanger yourself." Nione says, Raven just nods at her.

In the Batcave, the residents are preparing to do their nightly job. Two are suiting up; the third is going over data on the computer screen.

"Anything wrong?" Nightwing asks as he pulls up the zipper on his costumes back, Bruce had been acting strange all day, meaning something was bothering him.

"Take a look." Batman says as he has the computer pull up a world map with a list of names marked at several cities. "All of them are missing." Nightwing's eyes go wide at the information, both villains and heroes are listed here, 32 in total. "Some, like Zee, seems to have vanished into thin air others clearly didn't go quietly. I don't like it."

"Explains why Bushido didn't show up on the station." Nightwing notes the modern samurai's name is also on the list, next to Katana's. It had been a bit of a surprise when Superman came and asked Nightwing if he had seen him arrive. "Terra?" He asks in surprise when he sees the names from Jump City, where Malchior is listed with her. What he also notices is that all of the heroes are solo-actors, without belonging to a team or direct contact with the League.

"Apparently someone knows her secret; that is if she didn't just run away again." Batman shrugs as Tim walks over. "I need to brief the League about this."

"We will cover Gotham." Tim adds as he puts on the second glove.

"Be careful, whoever is behind the recent kidnappings doesn't distinguish between hero and villain, we can assume that we are also potential targets." Batman mentions before turning back to the screen.

"Noted, come on Tim." Nightwing and Robin both know that this is big; it has to be to draw Batman away from Gotham.

_The Watchtower, an hour later:_

"Ok, what's the big emergency?" Flash asks as the founders, minus Wonder Woman, sit at down at the private conference table in the League Satellite.

"Over the last couple of months a number of meta-humans have either disappeared or been reported missing." Batman says. "Zatanna is one of them; these are the rest." He says while bringing up the map he showed Nightwing. "Both heroes and villains are missing."

"Do you have any leads?" Hawkgirl asks.

"Only one, despite the Birds of Prey getting captured, the situation provided some potential leads Oracle has been looking into since." Batman continues.

"Mercy Graves?" Superman asks in question, wondering why or how she would be connected to disappearing meta-humans. His own question about the place had been rumors he's heard during his day job, something about something big was going down at the plant.

"No. Since the business with Amazo was concluded, she has tried to run LexCorp like a legitimate business. Hiring Lobo it's a bold and odd step for her, his services are expensive and she knows we don't want him on Earth. Over the last couple of months Graves has been slowly changing the direction of the company, setting up hidden and expensive projects in a dozen locations." Batman explains. "I fear that even if we haven't seen or heard from him, Lex has taken control of the company again."

"And what about that containment unit?" J'onn asks, Batman brings up a degraded image of a part of it that Huntress had managed to take.

"One second." Superman says before he disappears out of the room, besides Batman the others are surprised. "It's Doomsday!" He says as he returns a few seconds later.

"As I feared." Batman sighs, the image shows lower right arm of the beast.

_Themyscira:_

"Raven? It is Diana, can I come in?" Diana asks from outside Raven's door, it has been two days since Raven was done with Hippolyta's lectures and Diana hadn't seen her since she left her to be ambushed.

"Come in." Raven groans from the other side. Diana enters and finds Raven looking a little haggard while lying in her bed.

"Are you ill?" She asks.

"Side effect from extracting poison from our Sisters I'm afraid." Raven sighs. "Don't worry; I should be up and about in a matter of hours." She had been feeling sick ever since she pulled out Consivia's share of poison. "So what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Well, there is a group of people who hope you weren't too bogged down with learning politics so that you might join us for that round of training I promised. It seems you have been busy doing other things." Diana notes.

"Near photographic memory and Hippolyta seems convinced I have gotten the policies laid down. If I hadn't come across the Temple of Apollo, I would have come looking for you and the others yesterday."

"I'm sure they are grateful you did." Diana says as she sits down on the single chair. "So how was the lecture?"

"Well after proving I was well by fighting off Donna…"

"It was Donna they had you fight?!" Diana interrupts in surprise.

"You didn't know it was her?" Raven asks before reminding herself that Hippolyta didn't tell Diana everything.

"I knew my mother wanted to see if you could still defend yourself, I didn't know she would send one of the best." Diana says sounding almost sorry. "Did didn't she injure you?"

"No, I think it was her pride that was injured more. I didn't play fair." Raven gives the princess a smirk who returns it in understanding with one of her own. "When she pulled off her mask, I thought it was you."

"We do look alike." Diana notes. "She was so hoping she could have joined your team when Hippolyta finally allowed her to return to the outside world."

"She told me that she arrived the same year Nightwing and the others left." Raven adds.

"It was poorly timed when she arrived, but she is performing well in New York. So how did you beat her?"

"Used my powers on her armor and her sword."

"You could just use it on her bracelets you know?" Diana adds, before the thought strikes her that Raven could use that on her own, the same thought strikes Raven apparently as she smirks.

"It's a nice idea, thank you." She says as the two fall silent for a moment before Raven finally works up the courage to ask. "Diana can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Diana replies while her head snaps to attention, it makes Raven cringe inwardly.

"I…erm…I heard that you cried, because of me?" Raven admits to herself that if Donna was lying, then she would have to face up to Diana. Diana looks surpised for a brief second before her expression changes into a warm smile.

"I did, because I thought I had lost you." She says finally.

"But why?" Raven asks, Diana seem to think about it for a moment before replying.

"You're a smart woman Raven, I'm sure you will figure it out. I hope to see you in a few hours then?" Raven is taken aback by the reply but quickly replies anyways

"I wouldn't want to miss out on training."

_Later:_

"Good to see you back on your feet sister." Antiope greets Raven, as she spots her coming towards the group of Artemis, Philipus, Penelope and Diana, all dressed in chitons. It was agreed earlier that they all meet down at their usual spot by the barrack they had stayed in after the first was destroyed. Also with them is a dark-skinned Amazon Raven doesn't recognize, but judging by the golden armor and helmet she is wearing, she guesses belongs to the officer core of the army.

"Good to be back. Where Is Io?" Raven asks, noticing the absence of the smith.

"Where do you think? She has been cooped up in her forge ever since she got your armor and sword moved there." Penelope replies.

"Think I should hide them somewhere so she gets out once in a while?" Raven asks.

"It would be appreciated; I'd hate to have to order her out of her forge again." The unknown Amazon says.

"Raven this is General Philipus, commander of Themyscira's armies when Hippolyta is not around." Philipus says as the woman turns around, due to the helmet and the light, Raven can only see her piercing brown eyes.

"Greeting sister." She says in a firm tone before clenching her right fist over her chest, an action Raven copies.

"Greetings General."

"I have a small task for you all. But before we begin, I would task you to go procure our obsessive smith since I've heard you have a way of rapid movement. And don't come back without her." She instructs, Raven nods before she disappears.

"Wha?…Hey how'd I get down here?!" The others are slightly started by Io's sudden exclamation behind them; spotting her she is still wearing her apron and has her hammer in hand. "Raven?"

"A-hem." If Raven wasn't an empath, she wouldn't have been able to tell the General was actually amused as Io turns around and spot the other Amazons.

"Oh, my apologies General." Io instantly goes from rising anger to timid and is quick to salute the woman while hiding the hammer on her back. "I lost track of time."

"I am well aware of your ability to do that when a suitable project is in your hands. Form up." The woman's soft command is instantly obeyed and the group is quickly lined up in two rows of three and four, with the taller, Diana, Penelope and Anitope at the back. Raven finds it odd having Artemis standing next to her, having grown used to have her in charge. "Now then, since it came to my attention that you are all trying to shape up, and quite successfully I might add. I thought it was about time you show it, to me." The woman gives them a grin under her helmet. "You see Captain Pleione's ship?" She asks, getting a nod from six of the women, Raven doesn't know which ship she is talking about. "You have to the count of 15 to relive yourselves of anything you won't need. When you are done, you have fifteen minutes to get yourselves on it, by foot. "Go." Io being the only one with anything extra on, quickly tears off her apron and drops it over her hammer before sprinting after the others.

_The Watchtower:_

"Wow Star!" Cyborg says as he and Beastboy enter the Gym on the satellite. They were told to go keep an eye on the alien princess here as she refused to remain inactive now that her senses have been restored. Cyborg's exclamation comes because she is trying to lift the weights she usually worked with back in the day, but is struggling with just getting them set up properly. She sighs and stops what she is doing and looks at the two with a defeated look in her eyes as she puts the weight down. "Easy Star, you haven't done anything like this for years, your body needs to work itself up again."

"I am sorry, but I am still trying to adjust to my current state." She replies, her voice lets them both know she is deeply unhappy about her condition.

"We know it must be hard for you." Beastboy says quietly. "Say, didn't you mention once that you kinda depend on the sun for something?"

"Why yes, you are correct Beastboy. We Tamaranians need the warmth and light of a star. Why do you ask?" She says as his eyes light up.

"I know what you need to feel better! You need off this station!" He almost yells.

"Whoa B, she's not cleared yet to leave the infirmary." Cyborg says, trying to calm down his green friend.

"Don't you get it Vic, she's like a flower, if you leave it in a dark spot for too long, it will wither away!" Beastboy replies determined to get his point across.

"Friend, please, what are you thinking of?" Starfire asks.

"We need to get you back to Earth!" Bestboy replies. "I'll go get Mento on the horn!" And before any objections can be made, he is gone.

"Friend Cyborg, am I a plant?" Starfire asks, she is wondering if it was meant as an insult.

"No, no you're not. But your body works like one, like Superman's." Her questioning stare motions him to elaborate. "Kryptonians, like Superman, came from a planet with a red sun. There they were completely like human because of the radiation from their sun. When Superman got sent to Earth, his body reacted to our yellow sun which made him, well, super human. He soaks up the radiation, the same way you do, but with different results."

"So Beastboy believes I may be helped by exposing me to the sun?" She asks.

"He's got a good point and I am not sure the League is aware how Tamaranian physiology works, besides Batman I guess."

"But isn't the Batman a member of this League?"

"He is, but he hides a lot from them, like Robin did from us." She looks disheartened by this information. "What's wrong?"

"I was just reminded how much I loved Robin, yet I never knew him at all."

"Don't worry; I'm sure you will get to know him better at some point. But for now, let's go see if Green Bean has had any luck?"

"So does anyone know where we are going?" Raven asks after they have all boarded the small ship and are heading out to sea. Raven had noted, with some grumbling from the others, that the General had ridden to the ship in a chariot, overtaking them on the way.

"Not far I hope." Diana says while leaning on the railing looking over the sea, wondering if General Philipus knows of hers and Ravens appointment in the outside world.

"Fear not Princess, we are only going to Cyos." The General says behind her.

"Beast Island." Io grumbles just within earshot of Raven.

"So what are we doing there?" Diana asks.

"Gather around!" The General yells and waits for the group to assemble around her. "I am only going to say this once. When we reach Cyos, I have a simple task for you; in the center of the island, I have left a small package for you. Your task is to retrieve this package as fast as possible. But considering whom some of you are, I have a few rules for you to follow. You will travel by foot, so no flying, gliding or anything other than putting one foot in front of the other to get there. If you encounter anything on the journey, it is considered a threat and must be dealt with accordingly. In the slim chance of you encountering anything humanoid, it is to be detained, understood?" She asks while looking at all of them receiving a host of nods. "Good." She continues before walking off.

"Let me guess, Beast Island has a score of unpleasant inhabitants that the outside world considers myth?" Raven asks as General Philipus disappears below deck.

"Centaurs will be the worst. But we might also bump into harpies, cyclops', minotaur's and hydra's if we are really stupid. If we are fortunate however, we might meet one of the pegasi." Antiope says. "You know what they all are I guess?" Raven nods.

"Personally I am more worried by the group of sisters we will no doubt be facing." Artemis adds. "Philipus has never been any good at making those kinds of surprises." The others groan at this.

"Gee, so glad you pulled me out of my forge sister." Io says before lightly slapping Raven lightly on the back of the head.

"No problem." She replies while rubbing the spot. "Learn anything useful from my stuff yet?" Io sighs at this.

"Very little, I still can't draw the sword without it acting like a rabid dog, I tried getting Magala to have a look at it but she only giggled at it before wandering off, I swear it was fuming at her. The armor is even worse since I can examine it freely. All I can say is that it's made out of something I can't identify, but a rough guess I'd say it is better than the metal I use. Just looking at it makes me feel like an apprentice again." She sighs.

"Well, hopefully you will find something you can use, just remember Hephaestus doesn't like it when people copy his work." Philipus mentions.

"I need to pray harder to him for insight I think." Io shrugs as they sail onwards.


	20. Cyclops

_Cyos, Beast Island:_

"What a charming place." Raven says in an annoyed tone as she swats away another one of the numerous insects that plagues her, the others have made similar comments during their 30 minute trek through the humid jungle; they are all sweaty, warm and plagued by the insects.

"Yeah, you'd think with all of our blessings, keeping bugs away wouldn't be too much to ask." Philipus adds.

"Did I mention how grateful I was for pulling me out of my forge?" Io asks Raven as they jump over a log.

"4th time now." Raven replies dryly.

As there are no paths for them to follow on that won't be patrolled by the Generals welcome wagon, the group decided to make their way through the jungle as best they can. To the others surprise, Raven seems almost at home in the place as she easily picks her way forwards, she's promised to tell them about it later. The others, save Antiope, had to let on that they don't usually venture too far from the paths they have made on their own island. Back on the beach they had agreed to try and keep reasonably quiet during the trek, but the heat, bugs and humidity quickly dashed that hope as a wasp or something saw fit to sting Artemis, getting a yelp out of her five minutes into the trek.

"Not to be rude or anything, but I'd suggest we keep it quiet from now on." Anitope mentions. Inwardly Raven sighs; most of the Amazons are not quiet, not to the degree she herself is able to. Antiope however is completely silent as she is used to the setting. Also, their brightly colored clothes are making them visible from far away in the dim light the dense jungle canopy allows. As they enter a small clearing bordering a small stream with a muddy bank on the far side, Artemis calls a halt, for which they are all silently happy, since it is colder here.

"So how come you seem so at home in this place?" Io whispers to Raven, the others immediately pay attention, something that makes Raven feel pressured to start telling.

"I had a period of travel during the last year, during that I spent two months looking for something in the jungles in Southeast Asia. Also, after I met you all, I got dumped on a distant planet covered in jungle."

"Dumped?" Penelope asks.

"Left behind, it was one of the Leaguer's tests." Raven replies.

"How did that turn out?" Diana asks with a smirk on her face wanting to see the reaction from the others.

"Well, since I was injured during my initial landing I decided to change the original goals he had. When he and his friends came back to find me, after a week or so, I ambushed them." Raven explains.

"Nice one sister, maybe we should let you lead?" Antiope asks while looking at Artemis for a reaction.

"By all means, jungle warfare is not my forte." She shrugs. "Or anyone else's for that matter."

"You mean you don't train in it?" Raven asks in surprise, she had actually thought they'd be good at it.

"Not really, we figure whatever battles we have to fight will be in the open like before the gate." Diana mentions. "It is not the Amazon way to sneak around." She adds, remembering one of her first impression of Batman when he was with her and J'onn in Egypt during the Imperium's invasion.

"Seeing as the good General saw it fit to send us in unarmed, with at least one fight brewing, I am open to suggestions." Penelope says.

"I'm not much of a leader of anyone, but I can show you a few things I have learned that work." Raven mentions.

"By all means, share away." Io says.

"In a place like this." Raven begins by motioning at the surrounding jungle. "Where sight is often impaired by the light or the trees, colors, sound and motion become more important, I'm sure Antiope knows this." She says, getting a nod from the veteran hunter. "Right now, we are all standing out like sore thumbs with the colors we are wearing."

"We are walking targets in here." Anitope mentions.

"Exactly, another thing about sight is that the eyes react on sudden movement no matter the color of what is moving. So moving slowly may blind an observer to the actual motion."

"So what can we do about it?" Artemis asks. "It's not like we have a room full of tailors here." Raven smirks.

"Well, soldiers of the outside world have makeup that hides their exposed skin. We will have to make do with mud." She smirks as the others pull disapproving faces. "I'm willing to show you how it works."

"I'd like that." Io says with a smirk. Raven nods before moving over to the far side of the stream and begins applying to the mud to her skin and clothes before teleporting back over. "Ew."

"It will cool me off for a while. Like this and if we can move reasonably quiet through the jungle, we might get far before anyone notices us." Raven explains.

"It is dangerously close to being dishonorable." Penelope warns.

"It is." Artemis says. "Besides Philipus expects us to get into that fight, and you still have the possibility of growing red skin. Unless Philipus told you not to use those?"

"She didn't." Raven sighs. "As I won't ask you to break your code of honor, I won't ask you to do it my way. Though I would like to prove its effectiveness." The other seems relived somewhat. "But the heat is getting to me so I will remain like this."

"Your laundry." Io shrugs.

They move on shortly afterwards and continues on their journey, with Raven making up the rear guard. She notes absentmindedly that Diana is falling back to walk besides her.

"You are disappointed." Diana notes with a whisper.

"In a way, but I figured they would react like that." Raven replies. "You are still relying on the bow and arrow after all."

"We are a conservative people Raven, one day we might see the value of fighting like you and Bruce."

"But now is not the time." Raven shrugs, but looks up suddenly. "Wait, I feel someone!" She whispers to Diana before moving quickly and quietly up to Artemis to stop them. After a short round of explanations, Raven moves ahead, alone, in the direction of the feeling, knowing very well that someone is following her.

Moving slower and slower as the feeling grows closer, Raven can see a clear line of bright sunlight marking the path of a road otherwise blocked by a line of tall bushes, she stops walking completely as she spots a golden helmet moving along the line. Hoping that whoever is following her has the good sense to stay back, Raven begins crawling forwards on her belly till she is lying in the undergrowth next to the road.

"They should be here by now." Raven hears one voice speaking, but is unable to see who it is.

"Bet it's that outsider slowing them down." Another voice says.

"You weren't there to see her fight, it's bad enough we have the Princess and Artemis to deal with, now it's her as well." The first voice continues. Raven focuses to pinpoint the speakers before letting her soul self slip up one of the trees to observe, spotting two amazons, both equipped with spears, swords and shields keeping the path under watch.

"Sure she is, and I am a man." The second voice replies as Raven lets her soul return to her body. Quietly she makes her way back the way she came, noticing where her follower is hiding, she makes her way around and behind the person.

"MPH!" Antiope's yelp at the surprise is stifled by Ravens hand covering her mouth, Raven quiets her down before letting go. "Don't do that again." She warns.

"There are two armed guards at the road, they are expecting us." Raven says quickly, ignoring the warning. "What do you want to do?"

"I want their weapons." She says as a realization hits her. "You?"

"Information." Raven returns the smirk, Antiope nods.

"Anyone else close by?"

"No, they are at least 200 meters away from here." Raven replies after a quick empathic scan. "Wait, there might be more guards posted…some 100 meters away."

"Means they will hear the signal, one of them is bound to carry a horn to alert the others." Antiope sighs.

"If we take them down in here?" Raven asks.

"That is another matter, can you pull them in so we can do it quietly?"

"With that much armor? Yes, be ready to catch." Raven says before she creeps forwards again till she is leaning against a tree a few meters from the road, but with clear view to the guards. Using her powers to animate a stick to knock loudly against a tree standing further in, she gains their attention.

"What was that?" The dismissive guard asks.

"Could be them." The other one says. "We could summon the rest?"

"I'm not going to explain to them why we called them here without good reason." The first guard sighs.

"By all means then, after you Dessa."

Raven begins hearing soft footsteps being made by the two as they enter the jungle, focusing a little she makes a few leaves rustle while letting the stick float right behind the tree, giving the impression someone is hiding there. The two guards apparently notice it and their careful movements turn to running. In their eagerness to corner the hidden one, they both rush past Raven on either side of her tree without noticing her. Before they can reach the bait, one suddenly finds herself propelled off her feet and flying through the air landing with a crunch on the ground. Looking up before she can say anything, Antiope hits her squarely in the head, knocking her out. The other stops as she sees her companion disappear through the trees and halts to begin fumbling for a small horn at her side. The musical instrument almost reaches her lips before a foot slams into the side of her head.

"Look what we found." Anitope says loudly as she and Raven returns to the others, carrying a guard each. "Weapons for those who need any." She continues before putting her guard down, Raven puts hers down next to the first one, before examining them for injuries and healing the worst of the bruises.

"Were did you find them?" Artemis asks.

"Road, they were guarding it." Raven says as she finishes.

"So why bring them here?" Philipus asks.

"I think we all want to know how many we are facing and where they all are?" Raven asks.

"They won't tell us anything." Penelope says.

"How about to me then?" Raven asks as she changes her appearance to that of General Philipus, including the voice.

"That…is scary." Io says clearly stunned.

"But won't they suspect?" Philipus asks, clearly worried.

"Not to mention, the General will probably explode when she finds out." Diana mentions.

"That is a sacrifice I am willing to make, besides if she didn't want me to do it, she should have said so." Raven counters. "Better get what you want off them before I wake them." The others quickly relieve the two of their shields and weapon's leaving them leaning against a tree, before Raven orders them into hiding. She lets a blue glow wash over the women calling them back to consciousness. "Wake up sisters." She says in Philipus' firm tone.

"Gen…General?" The first asks. "What happened?"

"You tell me, you were missing from your post, so I followed the trail and find you both here." Raven says.

"We heard a noise from the jungle, guess we got ambushed ma'am." The other says as she rubs her head.

"It appears so. You two make your way back to camp; that is if you remember where that is?" Raven continues.

"I do." The first one says.

"Repeat." Raven says calmly.

"The large clearing at the center of the Island." The other continues with a sigh.

"And we have how many encamped there?" The two look up at her as if she was stupid. "You both took serious blows to your heads; I am making sure you have not been damaged." Raven continues calmly.

"50, General." The second one says.

"Good, now get moving." Raven commands.

"You will not be accompanying us?" The first asks.

"I will get there in my own speed, and you have an important message to deliver; that the group is now armed, thanks to you." Raven delivers the last part with a stare cold enough to freeze water. The two in front of her look at each other once before getting up and runs in the direction Raven points them in. Watching them disappear thought the jungle, Raven smirks to herself before walking over to the place the others are hiding. Finding a group of half stunned half snickering Amazons behind a patch of bushes.

"You have no idea how close that was to the real thing." Io says.

"Oh, that last part was just gold." Anitope says while snickering.

"So now we know we are facing a force that greatly outnumbers us and they know we are armed and coming." Artemis says after quickly regaining her composition, Raven can tell she found it amusing as well.

"They would find out eventually, since we couldn't leave them tied to a tree in here." Raven says as she changes back. "I hope you know where that place is?"

"Yup, and we are doomed if they have 50 sisters sitting on it." Penelope says.

"We will be if we all just rush into it." Artemis adds."Which they will expect us to do."

"So do we oblige them?" Raven asks.

"Seeing as they have blunted weapons, I'd say Philipus wants us to try. From what I know, she was not in the arena when you were inducted." Diana replies.

"Oh well, means we will hopefully get back home soon." Io sighs.

_The Batcave:_

"Hey Bruce what are you up to?" Tim asks cheerfully as he strolls into the cave in the early afternoon, Batman is currently seated at his computer, browsing information. "Angela Roth? That a new date for you?" Tim asks.

"It's Ravens mother." Bruce says. "Her spirit lives on within Raven and she asked me to see what became of her parents after she left."

"Really?"

"Really. Angela was a runaway living in Gotham." He sighs. "Her parents never reported her missing."

"Some parents, they still around?" Tim asks, wondering if the pair is due to a visit.

"Dead for over twenty years now, traffic accident. Ironically they were deeply religious and were hit by a truck when going home from church." Batman continues before printing the information he has found. "Done your homework?"

"Done and done." Tim replies proudly.

"Let me see." Tim instantly deflates at the request.

_Cyos:_

"I think we can take them." Artemis whispers with a smirk, knowing her, it is hard for the others to tell if she is being sarcastic or not. The group is hiding in the jungle looking out into the clearing, the opposing force is grouped in five camps of 10, each group having 3 Amazons on lookout, from what can be seen, every last one of them are armed.

"Of course you do sister." Io adds. "But seriously, how are we supposed to get to that chest?" She asks while looking at the small chest in the center of the clearing.

"A diversion." Diana mentions, echoing the thoughts Raven was forming. "Some of us will draw their attention while one or two of us retrieve the chest while they are occupied."

"Both you and Raven are the fastest here Princess, and the ones we can thank for the army waiting for us." Penelope adds.

"And if they don't see either of us, they will instantly sit down on the chest." Diana continues. "I was actually thinking Antiope and Philipus should do the running." Antiope seems surprised.

"I would ask why?" She says.

"You are both fast runners over a short distance, and you are both without your preferred strengths." Anitiope grunts at Artemis' mention.

"Fear not, I doubt we will be without pursuers." Diana says knowing what Antiope was thinking. "Now go hide somewhere till you have a chance." The two disappears back into the jungle.

"So now that we have no spears, I guess it's up to me and Artie to keep our flanks safe?" Io asks, not caring about the sudden red glow Artemis takes on at the nickname.

"Since we have to make them believe we are not just trying to wear them out, we have to push into the clearing. They will expect us to be playing to our physical strengths, so Raven, if you please?" Raven smirks at Diana's request and transforms.

"Think I have just realized, I need to be more than my bow and arrow." Anitope mentions as she picks her way through the jungle with Philipus following close behind her.

"I am sure Penelope would be happy to teach you." She replies, knowing how that realization feels. "So why do you think we are really here?"

"Sister Raven of course, the General wants to test her out." Antiope says. "As if the fight at the Door did not show her enough."

"Or the tale we brought back from Tartarus." Philipus mentions.

"Well, I for one think Diana might have found an unknowing challenger to her spot in the battle line."

"I agreed, I wonder if there are more like her in the outside world?" Philipus speculates.

"I doubt it, or the Great Unmaker would have overrun us ages ago. We are just fortunate, that his only child was not his slave. I think it is time we be quiet and enjoy the show." She says before lying down on her stomach and crawls forwards.

"I know it is nice of General Philipus to have us watch her box and all. But could we please move into the shade?!" A redheaded Amazon complains loudly from her spot on the ground.

"You complain too much sister." A dark skinned sergeant replies casually while leaning back. "Besides, the Princess is not wearing her armor. All we have to do is wait for them to get tired of hiding in the jungle then swamp them."

"They still have the new one." A blond Amazon mentions. "That's the one I'm worried about facing."

"She will fall like the others." The dark one continues. "With all the sentries, they won't even get close to the clearing without us knowing it."

"We must be doing pretty well then." Artemis' voice says, startling the group. Making them scramble to their feet, seeing a mud splattered Amazon leaning against a tree just at the edge of the clearing. The green eyes gives Artemis away, behind her several other dark shapes are moving to stand just in the shade of the forest, two unarmed and another armed with a shield and a sword like Artemis.

"THEY ARE HERE!" The dark skinned warrior yells alerting the rest of the clearing while the rest of the group gears into sudden action. As the first group surges forwards, the small group does as well. As they engage each other, the sentries charge in from behind, the first falls to the ground as a pair of clawed feet forces her down. The two others give up their assault in the face of the new attacker.

"I should have claimed illness." The blond sighs.

"Not now, fight!" the other snaps as the pair thrust their spears at Raven, who jumps into a somersault and lands behind them. Throwing her fists up behind her, Raven feels the back of her hands connect with a pair of helmeted heads before moving forwards to cover the others backsides.

By the virtue of their individual strengths and determination the outnumbered group of Amazons slowly pushes their way towards the chest, each keeping an eye out for Philipus and Anitiope while leaving a train of opponents behind them. With each of the groups of Amazons piling in to join the fight it becomes harder to push the mass of bodies back. With everyone using blunted weapons and their fists, the worst injuries tend to be the odd scratches and bruises earned from hasty parries. As the final group of guardians joins the fray, the outnumbered group can go no further and is forced to stop as the other Amazons surround them with a great many spears pointing at them.

"Surrender, we have you surrounded!" Someone shouts as the group huddles together, pressing against each other's backs.

"But we have your chest!" Philipus' voice is heard from the edge of the clearing, with Anitope standing next to her with the chest.

"Raven now!" Diana cries, Raven responds immediately by letting her four eyes blaze with power before a blast sends the surrounding Amazons flying back with many surprised shrieks and yelps being heard. "GO!" Diana yells as the small muddied group was spared the spell and sprints off to join Antiope and Philipus.

"After them! Quick!" Someone yells behind them as they reach the other two and disappears into the jungle.

"Now we only have to get to the ship!" Artemis says while jumping over a log.

"And keep them off our backs." Penelope adds.

"Raven, carry this will you?" Antiope asks handing her the chest, before unslinging a bow the others notice she is carrying. "Found it before we grabbed the chest, even got real arrows with it."

"Why would they have that?" Philipus asks. A deep bellow is suddenly heard behind them, causing them all to stop in their tracks.

"Cyclops!" Diana says. "They need it to fend it off!"

"Back we go." Raven says while dropping the chest on the ground without a second thought. The others wordlessly agree and begin running back, passing the closest pursuers who are just about to head back as well.

After passing several small groups of pursuers, they emerge out into the clearing again, seeing a host of Amazons scramble around the place without any sense of order as they try to avoid the giant in their midst. The roaring beast is at least five times the height of a man, naked except for the brown loincloth around it's waist and completely hairless. Its defining feature is the large blue eye set deep in its head above the nose. To Raven it acts like a giant baby as it chases first one, then another Amazon, who are all too fast for it to capture with its large three fingered hands. They all notice a few Amazons still on the ground, victims of the more successful of their own attacks.

"Draw its attention and lead it away from the wounded! Antiope hold your arrows until a sister is threatened!" Diana commands, having noted the very few arrows Antiope has. They all spring into action, both the previously pursued and their pursuers. The giant quickly finds itself surrounded by some 20 yelling women with spears, even with the difference in size, it seems unwilling to brave the points of the spears and backs away. The beast then suddenly displays a low cunning as it suddenly steps forwards again as the Amazons advance, and swats five or so away from it with one of its huge hands, unheeding of the arrow now stuck in its palm. It shocks the Amazons to suddenly have a huge gap in their lines as they back away and bunch up again.

"Diana I have a clear shot!" Antiope calls while pulling her bow to the breaking point.

"Take it!" Diana yells, a swipe of Antiope's bow is heard before and enormous scream of pain signals the demise of the Cyclops's sight. The thing begins stumbling about in its newfound blindness, screaming and fumbling with one hand while the other clutches its ruined eye. The Amazons quickly distances themselves from it, before someone gets stepped on, dragging their wounded with them.

"Are we just going to leave it like that?" Raven asks while dragging one of the Amazons who was knocked over after her.

"We have to, until we can bring proper weapons to bear on it." Penelope sighs. "Its eye will never recover now, its people with shun it and cast it out, if they ever find it."

"I could try and heal it." Raven suggests a non-lethal alternative.

"You can't, Gaia created them to fight the Titans of old, but she wanted them not as her children, whatever critical wounds they take, are permanent." Artemis explains. "We will be doing it a favor. Philipus do you think you can bring it down?"

"My I have never tried on anything that big, I don't know if I can." Philipus says.

"It deserves a clean kill." Io says, Raven's stomach falls to her feet as they all turn to face her.

"Me?" She almost whispers. "You want me to kill it?" The other can see it appalls her.

"You are the only one present who can." Diana says while cursing inwardly that her armor is a two hour boat trip away from her. Visible fear creeps into Ravens eyes for a moment before a rock hard façade settles over her as an internal discussion has reached its conclusion.

"Does it speak?" She asks with a voice completely devoid of emotion.

"Barely." Antiope says. Raven nods before floating into the air toward the behemoth that has stopped its bellowing, replacing it with a seething weeping sound while it has begun using its free hand to feel the ground before it. Raven halts her motion as she is at its eye height but keeping out of its reach.

"_Cyclops?" _She asks to its mind.

"_Who…who is there?" _Comes the scared reply as the giant stops its movements.

"_You do not know me, as I do not know you. I need to know, is there nothing that can be done for you?"_

"_My sight is gone forever, never to come back." _Its minds voice sobs as its mouth makes the same sounds._ "I was warned to stay away from the small people; I paid no heed to the Gods commands."_

"_Is it true that your people will cast you out?"_ Raven asks.

"_My life ends with my sight. You…you're here to end me?"_ Raven inwardly splinters at the feeling of its hope; she has to do this now.

"_I will make it painless, be a peace, great one."_ She says in a soft tone before directing part of her powers to a special organ, while sending waves of soothing emotions to it.

As the Amazons watch, they can see the giant first relax, letting its hand fall revealing its ruined bleeding eye that's turned red. Before it sways a little before toppling backwards. Its fall crushes trees and sends tremors through the ground causing more than a few Amazons to fall as well.

"_Th…thank…you…."_ Is the last Raven hears from its mind, the last feeling from it; relief.

_Later:_

"Sisters, report." General Philipus commands the nearest group of Amazons from the back of her horse after entering the clearing, having received word of what had happened. The guarding force she had set up has remained in the clearing to tend to their wounds while the opposing group can be seen loitering around the right foot of the Cyclops, in the distance dark clouds are coming up on the island. The group she is addressing get to their feet and forms up with their sergeant in front who salutes before replying.

"General, the Princess' squad managed to make off with the chest before a cyclops found us, no serious injuries amongst us. Sister Antiope made the blinding shot, sister Raven brought it down." The dark skinned sergeant replies, the same one that was so dismissive of the Princess' group. The General sits up in her saddle and looks at the group before noticing someone missing.

"Where is sister Raven?" She asks, knowing that being unable to see her meant it was most likely Raven's first kill, she knew from Diana that Raven didn't feel anything for demons, but a cyclops was a different matter.

"She desired time to reflect on what she had to do." The General nods at the reply before jumping off her horse and heads for the group. Noticing most of them are covered with crusting mud.

"You look terrible." She notes.

"An effective camouflage that allowed us to get very close to the sentries without them noticing, something we will have to take into consideration." Artemis says as she gets up.

"Where is Sister Raven?" The General continues, ignoring Artemis.

"A rough guess would be that mountain top." Penelope says while motioning at a distant peak, now surrounded by thunder clouds.

"I take it she is unaccustomed to the taking of any life." The General continues.

"Only life that she believes is not worth saving, in Man's World the cyclops would have been allowed to live." Diana notes dryly. "As I've mentioned, demons are another matter."

"Then she has learned a valuable lesson about how things work here." General Philipus replies with a small sigh, it had been the same with Diana when she made her first kill. Only Diana's had been a small boar she only wounded because she couldn't bring herself to kill it. Because it was a ceremonial hunt to the goddess Artemis, Diana had to go after it, only to come back and tell them the boar had gone on to cripple a doe before she found it.

"You be sure to tell her that when she returns." Io replies with an annoyed tone in her voice.

As they all settle with watching the distant peak. The clouds seem to begin to funnel down towards the peak as lightning forks come down around it. After about three minutes after the funnel is formed, the skies seem to light up and the funnel becomes a giant lightning bolt that shatters the peak in a hollow boom, leaving the mountain noticeably shorter than before.

"I have a feeling she will be back shortly." Philipus adds with a note of worry, the others agree. After a few moments of waiting, Raven appears over the Cyclops' corpse before landing, still looks grim.

"We have to leave now; the cyclops' people will be here shortly to collect him." She says dryly before anyone can say anything.

"Sisters move out!" General Philipus yells as she walks over to her horse again, leaving the others. Raven starts walking as well without another word.

"Did you find clarity?" Antiope asks as they follow Raven.

"I did. I took a long hard look at myself and my actions and thought about where they will all lead and if I can accept that." Raven replies.

"You consulted Hemon and your mother?" Diana receives a nod from Raven and questioning looks from the others.

"Amongst others. Hemon and my mother said that I knew I would have to do something like this from the moment I accepted your offer and that I now have to learn to live by a different set of rules. Others I asked cared not for the blood of the Cyclops that is now on my hands. Then I weighted up the scales of this new life for me opposed to the choices I will have to make."

"And what did you choose?" Artemis asks.

"That I am here, should give you the answer, sister." Raven says with a small smile playing across her features.


	21. Morals and Dress'

"You did the right thing." General Philipus' voice brings Raven out of her staring out across the ocean; she has been silent and distant ever since she came back from the mountain and haven't moved from her spot at the ship railing she been standing at since the ships set off. The small one she, Diana and the others arrived on followed by a larger trireme for the others. The larger ship had been hidden on the far side of the island when they were arriving.

"So everyone keeps saying." Raven sighs without turning. "But why don't I feel like it?"

"It's been the same for all of us, that first time. Given a chance, the Cyclops would have devoured you all and thought nothing of it, yet you grieve for its demise?"

"I was raised amongst people who view the taking of life, any life, as the most horrid crime of all. For me in particular, I was taught that if I ever did such a thing, then I was damned to be my father's child." Raven explains, reminded that Azeraths pacifism extended to any sort of meat, meaning they were all vegetarians. She had however abandoned that habit soon after arriving on Earth, at first because she figured she couldn't avoid it and later she appreciated the meal. But that she had been a vegetarian would be something she'd take with her to her grave, because Beastboy would be impossible if he ever found out. "Here I feel as if the act of killing is applauded." She replies having felt that some of the most common emotions coming from the others were actually pride.

"Sister, look at me please." Philipus says, Raven turns to look at her, noticing for the first time that the woman is without the helmet that hid most of her otherwise pleasant features, along with her bald head. "I can understand you must be confused. Diana told me of the people who raised you and their ways; you feel torn between the norms of the world you knew and the norms here."

"I do." Raven agrees. "I know a great many people out there now who would have a great many angry words with me when they find out."

"Let them know then that you did it out of mercy. For a Cyclops, losing its eye is a mortal wound no matter if it dies from the actual wound or not. If its life is not ended shortly after its blindness is inflicted, then it is condemned to a slow death instead, one of hunger and thirst or one as a prey to the other beasts on the island." Raven sighs at her explanation. "If you want to, be angry at me for leading you down this path today." Raven looks up at her in surprise. "Queen Hippolyta may not have said it, but I know when she wants to know something. I took it upon myself to test what Hippolyta have not yet given voice to. When you returned from Man's World, Hippolyta was first worried that you would or could no longer fight. When proven that you would and could, she worried that it might not have been you that returned from Tartarus at all."

"You feared I had been possessed." Raven says as she connects the dots.

"Or impersonated by an eidolon." Philipus says while giving the wordless impression that she knows about Ravens trick, while Raven has to dig a little in her memory to find out what she meant. "We once found a demon having taken up residence amongst us while taking the shape of an unfortunate sister we later found murdered and hidden near the Gate. We found out when we found the thing gorging itself on the meat of a beast it was sent to hunt…the doe was still alive when we found them."

"I still wish I didn't have to do that." Raven replies and returns to her gazing across the waves.

"You made it painless, something Diana would not be able to." Philipus continues.

"I held its heart, until it beat no more." Raven sighs, knowing that the method had made it worse for herself. A part of her was already calling her cold a cruel for not doing it quicker, but another part was telling her it was good she felt miserable.

"Better than having the Princess pierce it with a spear." Philipus says before falling silent for a moment. "You know, that you showed it compassion, proves that you are capable of embracing the peace we ultimately seek?" Raven sends her another questioning look getting a knowing one from the general. "I think you have fallen into the common misconception amongst the outside world, that we are a bloodthirsty people who look forwards to any fight?"

"I may have become blinded to the truth by that prejudice, despite seeing the truth with my own eyes." Raven replies after a moment's thought about the Amazon society, reminding herself that a truly warmongering society wouldn't be at such peace as the Amazons, and it wouldn't be content with its island.

"We are aware that we emphasize on our task as warriors to keep Doom's Door closed, but it is the task set upon us by the Gods. Most of us would throw away the sword and live in peace if we could, perhaps one day, we can. But until then, it is our duty to be the best warriors we can and keep that door shut."

"I will hope it will only be in the line of duty that I will have to end a life like that." Raven sighs. "Except for demons of course."

"We all do." Philipus replies with a smile before putting her hand on Raven's shoulder. "Now come, my honor needs restoring after your impersonation of me." Raven smirks and follows.

_Wayne Manor:_

"Bruce, what is this?" Richard asks as he emerges into the study, with a paper in his hand.

"Arella's family tree, she requested to know if her parents were still alive." Bruce says after he picks the paper off his head to see what Richard meant, while he is lying on the couch, grabbing a few hours of sleep before the night. "It is not happy reading." He says, knowing Richard must have read the file.

"Another figure in Wayne Manor with no relatives of any kind." Richard sighs.

"Raven has grown up without a family, or even the memory of one. If there were any of them alive, they wouldn't even know they were related to her."

"And if they were like her mother's parents, they would not want to know her." Richard continues wondering how a normal family would react if a half-demon claimed to be related to them, not to mention one with a strong faith in a higher power.

"Sadly, but it is a mote question. Besides, she has you, your friends and the Amazons."

"And you, and Alfred." Bruce looks up at this. "She thinks highly of you, since you were the first one here on Earth that showed her any kindness." Richard explains before adding: "And Alfred is the uncle everyone likes. You never got to tell her about the offer?"

"I am waiting for the correct moment, with the Presidential Ball tomorrow and the recent events. I didn't think it would be appropriate, least of all to distract her. Besides, it's not like she is waiting for it." He says before realizing something. "I am going to have Barbara in my ear about this as well?"

"Yup, she wants Raven to get around and patch her team up, now and in the future." Richard says with a smirk, Bruce sighs.

"She is not a thing with that power, it is a rare gift and it mustn't be squandered."

"I know, but it is hers to give." Richard only gets a grunt out of Bruce as he lowers his paper again.

_Themyscira:_

After the talk on the ship and a lost round of wrestling with the General, who had insisted they do it on equal terms, Raven and the others had returned to Themyscira in time for dinner, which was followed by a quick round of reassurances from Raven that she has settled herself and her actions. After that she was pulled away by the others into the surrounding jungle. When they arrived at their destination, Raven was told that; "Because you where the one who convinced us to roll around in the mud, we will be the ones to get it off you." After that Raven was thrown off a short cliff next to a waterfall into a deep natural pool of water, shortly followed by the others who jump in voluntarily. After the initial shock of being thrown into the water, Raven was shocked again when the others casually discarded their clothes. It took much convincing from the others to persuade her to join them, swearing no one would see them and that most of them had seen her nude anyways since they were present when Raven was having her wounds dressed while unconscious after the escape from Tartarus. The rest of the evening was spent there, relaxing, getting cleaned up, talking and a lot of jumps off the cliff, some voluntary others aided, each had at least one 'aided' jump. Not surprisingly Diana was the hardest to get over the cliff, and they only succeeded by working together. As the sky begins to grow dark, they all quiet down somewhat and begin floating aimlessly at the shores only engaging in small talk and watching the starts coming out. None of them really notice two of them slip away, until Raven sits up suddenly.

"What is it?" Diana asks as she also sits up for a brief second fearing a threat had found them, Raven scans the lake for a second before lying down again.

"Philipus and Antiope are behind the waterfall...doing something." She says oddly relieved as the others begin laughing as they get it.

"Took them long enough." Io notes. "They have been dancing around that bush for decades now."

"Strange they didn't leap at each other when drunk." Artemis adds.

"Would have fallen asleep the second they hit the bed." Diana notes, thinking back at her own venture into Ravens room that night.

To Raven it's strange to be sitting in on the event like she is, but she feels a beauty from the act unlike any she has felt before, the two participants are completely happy and unaware of the others. After the two lovers return to first chuckles and mock questions as to where they went, they begin discussing partners. Raven refusing to let the others know hers as she again explains her own fear of going demonic and killing the potential partner, which the others back down from, only admitting that she did have one or two she would have a hard time turning down. Io lets on that she is trying to work up the courage to ask one she knows. Artemis and Penelope aren't interested in anyone for the time being, the others let on Artemis never have been. And Diana mentions Batman which is expected by all. After that, they begin to wander home, one by one, Antiope and Philipus shortly after each other, Raven can feel those two weren't done yet and they will not be sleeping much tonight.

"Are you sure I couldn't just come as your bodyguard?" Raven asks the amused Princess standing behind her as they study the creations Sabina and her underlings have come up with, ready for wear the day after the swim.

Raven's dress is not bad, she admits, actually she is sure many women would want a copy of it if it was worn by a starlet. But she can't picture herself in it; dresses were always Starfire's thing. Starfire had been obsessed with finding the best dress that time she was desperate to upstage Kitten when Robin had been blackmailed into dancing with her at her prom, it had almost driven Raven mad with all the different ones she had to approve of. When this dress is viewed from the front, it looks like a dress version of her leotard, as it will leave her shoulders and arms bare up to the neck where it's tied behind her neck to hold it up. It reaches down to her ankles at the front that will allow her to walk without fear of tripping in it, while covering her heels at the back. The upper part will cling to her, but the fabric is thick enough to make it look decent. The part that has Raven worried is the back, which is leaving most of the spinal area and upper back exposed, all held together with a small piece of string. As accessories, there is a dark blue sash to wrap around her waist and a shawl of the same color for her shoulders.

"I doubt Secret Service will let you onto the White House grounds wearing armor and a growling sword." Diana smirks as she takes in her own dress, a cream colored piece, much like the dress Raven wore at Wayne Manor, only with a few additions, like the white sash around its waist and the white shawl with a bronze broach to close it, where Ravens is free hanging. "Look on the bright side, there's no high heels."

"I'd be more comfortable in a suit of armor." Raven mumbles, getting another smirk out of Diana.

"You'll look fine, and it is a formal dinner, remember?" She continues, amused at how uncomfortable Raven was at the whole idea.

"I hope they are suitable for Man's World." Sabina asks, looking worried. Mostly at Raven in fear of her creation might be turned away.

"As always Sabina, they are works of art. Don't worry; Raven is just hard to get into any dress, even yours." Diana replies, immediately easing the tailor's fears.

"It is, I just fear I won't carry it as elegantly as it's meant to." Raven replies as well, unknowingly returning to the argument she had with Richard.

"You sell yourself too short sister." Diana says. "Sabina if you will have them packed and brought to my plane?"

"Of course Your Highness." Sabina replies. "Will there be anything else?"

"Not today, thank you Sabina." With that Diana and Raven leave the small shop.

"So we leave today?" Raven asks as the two walk down the streets.

"Yes, I want you to see the embassy my mother has asked me to set up."

"So you have a place to stay outside the station?" Raven asks.

"Well yes, that was one of the reasons my mother wanted us to have one but also as a gesture to the rest of the world. See over the last couple of years, since I left to be precise, we have had more contact with the outside world than in the last three millennia put together. And now, with global issues that threaten Themyscira as well, we have to have a visible address so that other nations might address us if needed."

"But they already have you?"

"Space maybe neutral territory, but it is also hard to reach. For the time being, I am thinking of hiring outsiders for the paperwork, but we haven't progressed that far, yet."

"I figure all the laws and paperwork involved would be ill suited to an Amazon." Raven adds.

"That too, with some exceptions, only help I have over there so far is Ferdinand with the cooking. A nice man I once met on a mission, but he does have one issue, but I won't tell you about that, yet." She smiles mysteriously.

"Mystery man aside. I have to go see my armor about a spell I thought of before we leave." Raven says as she motions to head down an alley she knows will lead her to Io's forge.

"Did Hephaestus leave something in your head as well?" Diana asks as she follows.

"No, I just thought of something last night. A spell I found quite useful when I properly mastered it, basically I will be able to summon the things I've enchanted with it." Raven replies as they emerge out of the alley.

"Sounds useful." Diana replies. "I need to pack a few things; I will see you at the plane later today?"

"Sure." Raven says before Diana turns to walk up to the palace as she herself enters the forge. "Io? Are you here?" She asks as she doesn't see the mistress of the place.

"I am only not here, when I need food, or when you decide to drag me off to strange islands or lengthy bouts of training." Io says as she emerges from the back room where Raven knows her straw mattress is located. "Are you here to pry your armaments from my cold dead fingers?"

"Only if you won't let me within five feet of them." Raven replies.

"Well ok then, but only because I know you could do that, it's back here." Io jokes before leading Raven into the back of her sanctuary. Raven notes that her sword and armor is occupying the best lit area of the entire forge, standing in a beam of sunlight streaming in through a window in the roof. "Still haven't found anything I can replicate about them, besides the designs." She sighs. "So are you going to take them with you?"

"Diana thinks that I will get shot at if I arrive at the dinner wearing it, and I have to agree." Raven replies while walking over to the suit, noticing the glowing eyes at the sword pommel following her.

"They wouldn't have any luck with that. So, here to bid farewell to them?" Io says with a smirk, Raven however, can feel she is hoping.

"No such luck I am afraid, I want to cast a spell on them so that they are always within reach." Raven explains while digging up the words she needs, thankful this was a spell that didn't need ingredients.

"Really? You can do that?" Io asks with interest.

"Yup, it was quite handy when I lived alone. I can't do this with too many things at once, but I haven't used it since my old home was blown up along with most of the bits I used it on. I need to focus a moment." She says before closing her eyes and takes a calming breath. Chanting softly, a black aura appears around her body as it expands slightly before two pieces breaks off from it and flies into the scabbard and the armor, making both glow with the same aura before disappearing. Raven opens her eyes after this and exhales. "Done."

"That looked weird." Io notes. "I have a decent grasp of the magic I need to make enchantments; can I ask what you did exactly?"

"I put a miniscule piece of my soul into the armor and the scabbard, not enough for me to move either like I normally do, but just enough for me to be able to reach out for them and pull them to me. I put a piece of it in the scabbard, since sharing space with another demon might be dangerous for me." Raven explains.

"I can imagine. So does it work?" Raven closes her eyes and lifts slightly over the ground as the black aura appears again, both around her, but also around the armor, that fades from view before appearing again on Raven. "That's neat, saves time getting into it as well." Io notes clearly impressed, as Raven lands again.

"It is, and now you can help me get out of it again." Io looks at her as if she is playing a joke. "So far I have not been conscious when it was taken off, or there was a deity to help." Io huffs in amusement before moving to help.

_Mountain Headquarters of the Doom Patrol, Austria:_

"Friend Beastboy, you were correct, I feel much better here under the sun." Starfire says as she breaks off from the floating over the castle she has been doing almost ever since they arrived and lands before her two friends that's walking out on the roof balcony.

"You look better too." Beastboy says, somehow he was relieved to find out the other members of the Doom Patrol was just about to leave on a mission when he called, leaving him to mind the castle while they are gone.

"Yeah, you are beginning to get your old color back." Cyborg adds.

"Glorious, is it not?" She says before hugging both of them, they can feel she is nowhere near her old strength though. "Perhaps you wish to stay up here with me?" She asks after letting them go.

"Of course." Beastboy says.

"Yeah, we still have plenty to talk about." Cyborg continues as they move to a bench standing in front of the sun baked wall.

"Oh, perhaps you will show me more of that place you retrieved friend Raven from?" Starfire asks hopefully something inside Cyborgs head clicks.

"I knew I had forgotten to ask her something." He mumbles. "Oh well, I'm sure she will understand."

"Wonderful." Starfire squeals as Cyborg, seated between the two, pops open his small screen on his arm. "They look grim." She notes as Cyborg begins playing from the flight over the Burning Wasteland.

"We got told they are like that when around guys." Beastboy adds.

"That one reminds me of our Robin when he got into a bad humor." She continues as Artemis manhandles the small demon.

"Yeah, she always seemed to have something to prove to the other Amazons." Cyborg replies, remembering the short time they spent on Themyscira before they watch again. "There was no helping those." He mentions as the picture focuses on the execution square.

"Did I ever mention how gross that stuff was?" Beastboy asks as Raven's frozen form comes into view a moment later.

"It's not normal rock." Cyborg says without looking up, knowing Starfire is looking at Beastboy with a questioning look. "This next bit is what I saw inside her head." He says as the screen flashes.

"Is tha…you?" Starfire asks as the doppelganger appears.

"No, we were told later by Dr. Fate, the guy with the yellow helmet, that those things we saw were demons, special kinds that only existed within the rock Rae was trapped in. Whatever we did to them was to be applauded." He explains while the image shakes as Victor pulverizes his imitator.

"Did Beastboy see similar occurrences?" Starfire asks, Beastboys pointed ears visibly drop at the reminder.

"I did. A copy of me and Terra were about to stone Raven. I stomped on Terra and buried my double's head under a rock." He says downhearted. "We all saw versions of ourselves doing bad things to Rae, Nightwing had the worst one."

"Which we won't explain!" Cyborg says sternly, reminding Beastboy not to say anything. "It tore him apart emotionally Star." Starfire looks at him for a second before continuing watching.

"I agree Beastboy; that was most vile." She says as Raven vomits out the mud in her throat.

"Told ya." Beastboy replies, trying to get into a better mood after the reminder.

"That big guy is Hades, the ruler of Tartarus; he thought Raven was involved with a rebellion he was dealing with when we got there." Cyborg explains as Diana and Hades argue on the screen. "Also he thinks he has some kind of relationship with Wonder Woman."

Starfire gasp's as the camera spins as Hades throws the rescue team into the rock putty. "Who is that?" She asks as Dike appears.

"She's called Dike, Goddess of Justice from Olympus, Nightwing had given Raven a note on how to summon her." Beastboy explains. "She was apparently upset at what Rae had gone thought when she found out." Cyborg pauses the video as Dike swings her sword.

"Rae got hauled off to Mount Olympus by one of the primary deities of the Amazon's; to let her know there were others that wanted to teach Hades a lesson. So they gave her a suit of armor and sword." Cyborg continues.

"Friend Raven wields a sword?" Starfire asks in surprise.

"And seems to do quite well at it too." Beastboy replies as Cyborg lets the recording continue.

"I must agreed." Starfire says as Raven cleaves her way through the horde of zombies. None of them comment thought the fight, except for the few gasps from Starfire at certain points; they remain silent until Hades falls. "I did not see the blow?"

"None of us did. Rae can force others to feel whatever emotions she wants them to, this time she channeled all the pain and suffering in Tartarus into Hades." Cyborg says. "She got into a little trouble with Batman when he found out of that part. The next part is just us travelling over the city to get out, ill cut to the next bit." He says before the image shifts to the cave and the journey through.

"It is very dark." Starfire notes as Cyborg fast forwards the movie till the point where they began running. "What are those?" Starfire gasps as the demons come into view.

"Demons of some sort, they weren't tough, but there were a lot of them." Beastboy replies as the fight commences.

"They are most vile in appearance." She notes, the others agree now that they had a chance to get a good look at them. "You are correct Cyborg, the Amazons do know how to fight. But Robin and Beastboy are doing well."

"Yeah, well he got some kind of Bat-anti-demon-thing sprayed on his sticks before we went in." Beastboy says with a smirk as he sees himself changing from gorilla to werebeast.

"Good thing we had Rae to scare you back into line." Cyborg says with humor in his voice as the fight concludes and the camera shifts to the resting place, showing the cowering werebeast. "Anyways after this we just walked in darkness again." He says and begins playing at fast forwards again till they emerge out onto the banks of Acharon.

"It looks like a most unpleasant place." Starfire notes as the camera gives her the view, Cyborg silences Beastboy with a glaze, warning him not to say anything about the water.

"It was, believe us. The bottom was slippery and none of us could fly because of something in the cave." Cyborg explains. "The Amazons grumbled a lot about having to walk next to us. But Io was easy to talk to when we had a subject." He says.

"Think Penelope would have killed me if she had the chance." Beastboy sighs.

"Well nothing new there." Cyborg jokes. "Oh, important bit here. See that shadow?" He asks Starfire as Thanatos' shape is seen in the mist, she nods. "That is Thanatos, ancient Greek version of the Grim Reaper."

"But who is that?" Starfire asks.

"Death." Beastboy says shortly, getting Starfires attention. "He had noticed we sprung Rae, he wanted a closer look at her."

"And a kiss, that pervert." Cyborg grumbles as the group on the screen plows through the marsh. "Look." He says as they reach the edge of the swamp, where Raven stumbles and falls. "That black stuff you can see on us is made to weight down the souls of people coming to Tartarus to stay. It made magic do-hickies heavier, meaning Rae and the Amazons put on weight and stuck to Beastboy and Hawkgirl like oil so they couldn't fly." He says as Raven hurls up the water she swallowed. They remaining silent while Thanatos catches up to them. "When she visited Olympus, Rae had her senses restored to relative normal. When Thanatos kissed her, those senses were thrown out the window again." He explains while Raven is being subdued on the screen, before they begin walking again.

"That is a big dog." Starfire says as she sees Cerberus, the two men smirk knowing what is to happen. Starfire holds her breath as Nightwing walks right past the monster."Is it not living?"

"Oh it's alive; it just doesn't sense living beings apparently." Cyborg replies.

"She can command it?!" Starfire asks in surprise as the hound pulls back in the face of Raven's command.

"Turns out it's one of her father's demons, like the one in her sword." Beastboy explains.

"There is a demon in the sword?" Starfire asks.

"Yup, Io, the Amazon with the big arms, seemed quiet envious about the stuff Raven showed up with." Cyborg continues, Starfire nods as the movie continues.

"He seems…angry." She notes at Hades after as he disappears behind them, which is in understatement, the others nod but remains silent as the boat sails peacefully through the underworld, culminating with the encounter with Trigon's spirit and Batman. "That was a most fascinating journey." She says as Cyborg closes the screen.

"Yeah, it was one heck of a trip, we didn't realize we had been gone a week when we got out." Beastboy says as he gets up and stretches.

"Yeah, but so was this, I'm hungry." Cyborg says patting his stomach.

"Follow me, you'll like our fridge." Beastboy says with a smirk before heading for the door.

"Better be something other than tofu in it!" Cyborg yells as she storms after him, followed by Starfire, who is sporting a wide smile at the pair.


	22. Gütenberg

"Is it just me or has your jet changed shape?" Raven asks as she finally voices the question that had been bugging her since leaving Themyscira, several boxes piled into a space behind her seat, a space she can't remember seeing before.

"It changes to what I need it to." Diana says from up front getting Raven to put on a genuinely surprised expression.

While Diana had planned on leaving Themyscira immediately after lunch, it is now early evening as they pass over the American east coast. Hippolyta had invited them both for lunch and had insisted on inspecting their dresses while worn before allowing their departure. While they waited for the dresses to be retrieved from the jet, Hippolyta announced that Raven was to be given a title, as Hippolyta did not want to appear disrespectful to the President by sending a 'commoner' with Diana. They were informed that the title would be announced when they entered the party and that she should try and act as if she had held the title for some time. Diana had joked by suggesting that Raven should be given the title; Somatophylake, which means; Bodyguard. The suggestion was received with a smirk from Raven and an odd smirk from Hippolyta as she announced the title; Ephor. Diana stared for a second before laughing; an ephor was in ancient times an elected part of a council that made sure a ruler or rulers of their state upheld the law. In Ravens case, she is to be Diana's ehpor, making sure she doesn't do anything inappropriate.

"I did use it to transport our sisters to Fate's tower after all, but it becomes, less graceful when expanded to that size."

"I can see how this comes in handy." Raven replies, wondering how the creator of such a craft could be confounded by a sword and a suit of armor. "How long did it take for Io to build this?"

"40 years of near constant labor. She saw a group of fighter planes pass over Themyscira one day and wanted to copy the achievement of flight, I think it was during World War One when that happened. She was so downhearted when Hippolyta forbade her from flying it." Diana sighs, remembering the almost physical gloom Io walked around in for over a month, it was the quietest period her forge had ever experienced. "We made up for it when I was allowed to use it however, with several laps around the globe."

"The planes couldn't see Themyscira?" Raven asks.

"The blessing of the gods keeps it hidden, only those who know where it is can actually see it or you have to be in proximity of one who can."

"You really did take a risk when you brought me to Themyscira." Raven realizes; if she had failed and really was a villain, Themyscira would have been wide open to attack, through her.

"I had faith in you." Diana says from up front. "You do have Bruce's approval after all."

"You were certain I'd make it, I wasn't known for my physical abilities after all?"

"Well, I feared Artemis would try and break you during the first day, but you kept pace with them."

"Even if my aim was appalling." Raven sighs with a smirk, it seemed like it was so long ago that happened.

"True, but you improved." Diana continues before they laps into relative silence, only broken by a few incoming calls from Diana notifying the air traffic controllers that they are coming through.

"Diana, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you, I know you and our sisters enjoy it. But will I live forever now?" Raven asks, Diana's stomach drops, she had hoped many years would have passed before it emerged, when her friends began to show signs of age and she didn't. "Diana?" Raven's question makes Diana realize she has been thinking for several moments.

"I am not sure really. When we entered your mind, your mother accompanied me during my part of the mission. She told me something, your father told her the day you left Azerath." Diana stops here, letting the information sink in.

"Oh?" Raven asks.

"That you are born ageless Raven, whenever you had come to us or not, you would not be touched by age." Diana explains; Raven sits in silence for a long moment before sighing deeply.

"This complicates things." She sigh, thinking of watching everyone she knows and cares about wither and die of age, while she remains unchanged.

"I thought the same when it dawned on me that I will go through the same." Diana says quietly.

"How do you deal with it?" Raven asks.

"One day at a time." Diana replies with a sad voice, they remain quiet the remainder of the journey.

"It's a big house." Raven notes as they slow down to land at the embassy, guessing the building itself is the size of Wayne Manor, maybe a little bigger.

Where Wayne Manor is built in a style of a cross between a large house with an almost cathedral-like spire roof. The Gütenberg Mansion is build like four large blocks in brown stone with a circular domed section in the middle, each window and doorway has Greek styled columns framing them. Along the driveway from the gate is a row of statues that Raven can't tell apart from this distance, ending with a large circular area before the front door. On the south side, is a large terrace before the garden with a large pool and a bricked area Diana uses as a landing strip. On the east side of the house is a large hedgemaze made of tall bushes. The western part of the garden consists of many small circular flowerbeds with open areas in between, large enough for small parties to be held in each. The entire estate is framed by a tall brick wall you will need a ladder to get over. Being seated on the top of a hill; the wall does not obstruct the view from the mansion to the surrounding land, which consists mostly of agriculture and forests.

"Hope you will like the inside as well." Diana says as she guides the plane onto the ground. "Ferdinand should have dinner ready for us."

"Sounds good." Raven replies as the top hatch opens. "So is he like Alfred?"

"Oh no, he only cooks and helps when asked, I hired him as a chef as I am not much of a cook myself." Diana explains while climbing out. "Whatever mess I make, I have to clean up on my own."

"You can't cook?" Raven asks in surprise as she levitates the three crates out of the plane.

"Only by camp fire." Diana shrugs as she picks up one large crate. "I have had the benefit of having chefs around most of my life, you?"

"Had to force myself to learn how to cook after the others left me, that or die of starvation or food poisoning." Raven mentions as they walk to the terrace door. "Had a bad stomach for a week before I began getting it right."

"Can you get the door?" Diana asks as they reach the closed double glass door, Raven opens it and lets Diana walk in first. "Ferdinand?!" Diana asks loudly as she gets inside and deposits her crate, Raven does the same after closing the doors behind her, they can hear someone singing in Greek somewhere in the building. "He's hard to get in contact with when he is singing." Diana smiles at this. Raven takes a look around the room they are in; she guesses this was once a living room or study with an actual floor, but it is hard to tell, since it is currently in a state of restoration. The concrete floor appears to be fairly recent, but the ceiling and the walls still bear the marks of age, from what Raven can tell with the plastic sheets covering it all. Following after Diana out of the room, they emerge into a large circular room; Raven guesses takes up most of the building. This part is definitely something new, as everything is made of white marble very much in the style of the palace on Themyscira, with a large empty fountain in the center. Along the walls there are exits to the other parts of the house, along with two staircases leading up to a walkway that circles the room with more exits leading off to the second floor.

"Impressive." Raven mumbles.

"Glad you like, even if it's not done and looks better in daylight." Diana replies. "I am planning on having leaving the most of the house in a more Man's World style, since we don't enjoy Themyscira's temperatures here."

"Probably wise." Raven says as she looks around the room as they cross the floor to a door where the smell of cooking and singing is coming from.

"…_Ere' otti deute popontha kotti deute kallemi…"_ The deep voice sings as Diana enters the kitchen. "Oh, welcome home your highness, I did not hear you." The voice says in an apologetic tone, sporting a thick Greek accent.

"It's ok Ferdinand; from the smell I can tell you have been busy." Diana replies in an amused tone while blocking the door, leaving Raven to guess how the man looks.

"Only my best is good enough for you your highness, it shall be served in a matter of minutes." The deep voice replies.

"You flatter me Ferdinand." Diana says, still amused, as she enters the room. "I have someone I want you to meet." Raven's eyes goes larger when Diana pulls a large man out by the arm, he is heavily built, wearing a lose pair of white pants and a white sleeveless shirt, showing off his large arms with a tribal tattoo circling the right. This isn't what has Raven staring, it's his head, which is that of a bull. "Raven this is Ferdinand." Diana introduces him as she lets go of his arm.

"Um, hello?" Raven says, clearly stunned at his appearance.

"Greetings young one." The man bull says, equally put off by the woman in front of him, neither of them notice the broadening grin Diana is sporting.

"Diana is he…?"

"Oh no." Diana interrupts knowing the question. "Ferdinand once had an unfortunate encounter that left him this way."

"And I hope to be restored on day." The man continues, somewhat downhearted to be judged by his appearance so quickly and Raven can feel it, the sadness.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't judge people by their appearance." Raven apologizes quickly. "Especially when I look like this." She says as she transforms shortly before turning back. "You surprised me." She can feel him feeling better.

"I do that a lot." Ferdinand mentions. "So are you a sister?" He asks while pointing to her bracelets.

"She is." Diana says. "She is to accompany me to the ball as my ephor."

"Oh? Have you displeased your mother again?" Ferdinand asks with a smile.

"No, but I figure she chose it because of last time. It will give the impression that it will not to be repeated."

"Not that most of them will have any idea what the title means." Ferdinand snorts, it is only now Raven notices he's actually a head taller than Diana and wears glasses, he's not as big as the things that came through the Dooms Door, but he is still an intimidating sight. "Well then overseer Raven, I welcome to the embassy, half finished as it is." He says, giving the impression of smiling.

"Thank you." Raven replies.

The small group heads into the kitchen, where Ferdinand rushes to save a pot of boiling water from overcooking. Raven notes that most of the things in here have been made to accommodate Ferdinand's great height, with concrete bricks being stabled under the free standing wood table he works at. The kitchen has a chessboard patterned floor and a round central table with a few normal seats and one wider than the rest. As dinner commences, a vegetable stew mixed with chicken and served with bread, Raven is informed of how Ferdinand came to be as he is, told by the man himself.

Years ago he was a humble chef on one of the Greek Islands, where he owned a small café, he was happy there but without family. One day a purple haired woman dressed in a strange green attire entered his otherwise empty café and had coffee, they had ended up talking, talking led to flirting, flirting led to seduction. Ferdinand thought he had found love when the woman asked him to accompany her to another island; he did so without a second thought. And soon he found himself on Aeaea, a small and unnoticed island. He heeded nothing but the woman, nor any of the grotesqueries that came to greet them. When they entered the woman's home, she offered him a cup of whine as a welcome token to his new home. Drinking from the cup without hesitation made him collapse, when he woke up, he was changed and he had no free will anymore, only that of legendary witch; Circe. Diana had come to the island some years later in search of a group of missing men, the ensuring battle between the two women unintentionally broke the cup used to enchant all of the man beasts Circe had enslaved over the years, which released them from her control. Many killed themselves when they saw what they had become; some went mad and fled but a few aided Diana, resulting in Circe fleeing the island. Ferdinand hopes that by being near Diana, he will have a chance to be restored by the woman who led him astray. This leaves Ferdinand to question if Raven is related to Circe, due to the hair and the magical powers Diana had her demonstrate. Both Diana and Ferdinand emit anger at Circe's mention, when asked, Diana tells the story Circe has with the amazons and herself. Circe once tried to claim Themyscira for her own, but was sentenced to Tartarus by Hippolyta for her efforts. Being released on parole several years ago under the single condition that she stayed away from Hippolyta, leaving her to take her vengeance on Diana instead. Leaving Batman and Zatanna to turn Diana back to normal after Circe turned her into a pig.

"Well, for me it is getting late." Ferdinand says after he has finished with the dishes. "Before I retire and forget, a package was delivered earlier to the embassy by a strange delivery boy." This catches both women's attention.

"Can you describe him?" Diana asks.

"About Raven's height, well built, black hair. The odd thing about him was that he wore a mask that covered his eyes and he wore black gloves with two blue fingers under his shirt. Also he didn't want me to sign for anything. I left the box in the hazard room." Ferdinand explains.

"Follow me." Diana says quickly as she heads out of the kitchen's back entrance and down a staircase into the basement, where they are first met by a messy storage room, followed by a large empty room Diana says once held the wine cellar before they emerge into a room Raven guesses is under the circular room of the building above them, but smaller. Inside is a pressurized and transparent chamber with a small wooden box inside. Diana informs Raven that this is something Bruce came up with and insisted that Diana have it installed; a bomb and gas proof chamber.

"Ferdinand if you will man the ventilation, Raven come with me." Diana says before opening the heavy door and entering the air lock, Raven follows without a question. Inside they slip into hazard suits before entering the main room with the box. "Can you scan it?" Diana asks, Raven nods and lets her senses work on the box, finding nothing malicious inside.

"Nothing magical inside of it." She says.

"Ok, we open." She says as she takes a crowbar. "Hold onto it." She says as she puts the short end at the box and waits till Raven has both hands on the box before breaking the box open.

"Got a signal!" Ferdinand yells from outside the room, before the two women can look into the box. Looking down reveals another package wrapped in brown paper, a folded piece of paper note on top and a small red blinking device linked to the box rim. Diana cautiously picks up the note, unfolds it and reads it before smirking and hands Raven the note.

_To Raven_

_I am sending Nightwing to the embassy with this package since I figure you will have at least one day in Washington before the ball. And with the embassy in its current state, I suspect you might find the contents useful. Alfred sends his best._

_Batman_

_PS: Diana, the small transmitter will tell me if your staff knows how to treat strange packages._

"Batman strikes again." Raven smirks as she finishes reading. "Well let's see what he sent." She says while pulling away the brown paper, revealing several clothing articles; a black hooded shirt, a pair of blue canvas jeans, a pair of white sneakers and t-shirt, a pair of socks and a black set of underwear and a signed check of one thousand dollars. "This could cover my tea expenses for years." She says while eying the check.

"I think we are browsing the city tomorrow." Diana says with a smirk.

"I take it the package is not dangerous?" Ferdinand says from outside as he is unable to see the contents.

"It's safe; you can go to bed if you want." Ferdinand nods at Diana before leaving. "So how about I give you a tour of this place?" Diana asks.

"Sure." Raven replies before they head out of the chamber, with Raven carrying her box.

During the tour, Diana outlines her plans and idea for each room they come by, starting with the residential quarters, showing off Diana's own room with its green rug and large bed. Moving on they come by the guest rooms of which Raven takes up one and deposits her box there. The tour continues, revealing a host of half finished rooms and a tide of ideas. One in particular catches Ravens attention since it houses a small scale version of the statue of Athena that sits behind Hippolyta's throne, it is a shrine. Moving on reveals a large room Diana wants to turn into a training hall fitting for an Amazon. A garage big enough for several cars, with only one in it at the moment; a small white electrical car donated by a certain billionaire from Gotham. A coming library with a fireplace that Ferdinand had lit earlier, but is dying out by the time they reach it.

"The three boxes you carried in are the beginning of this library, if you want to, you can put them in their place. I need a shower." Diana says before leaving Raven alone.

_Later:_

"What's this?" Raven asks out loud as she sits alone in her room with the box, having found a list of names lying beneath the clothes. Looking over the names, she realizes what it is and sighs before preparing to confront her mother.

"You seem distant." Diana notes over breakfast the morning after. Ferdinand having made it and had eaten his own alone, leaves the two women in the kitchen. "Anything wrong?"

"My mother asked Batman to look into her parent's whereabouts. He included my mother's family tree in the box." Raven sighs.

"Not good news I guess?" Diana asks.

"No, her parents never reported her missing and were dead two months later. Also, none of my relatives are alive anymore either."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Diana says quietly, sorry she had asked.

"It's ok, I never knew any of them and my mother figured they wouldn't come looking for her, her last time with them was not pleasant." Raven explains. "But she was still saddened by the news."

"I can understand that. So you have no real family left?"

"No, but in a way, I never really had." Raven shrugs. "So when do we leave?"

"When we get dressed." Diana smirks, noting her morning coat and Raven's cloak and leotard.

"It is a tight fit." Diana mentions as she gets into the car. "Good thing Bruce had it built especially for me."

"You might want to order a bigger one next time." Raven says as she gets in on the passenger side, noticing Diana's seat seems much too small to actually fit her.

"Think I know why." Diana says as she rolls the seat back to fit her. "Never been out in this."

"Got a license I hope?" Raven asks, her mind suddenly dreams up a scenario of her and Diana getting pulled over by a policeman.

"Of course." Diana replies while pulling it out of its place behind the sun shade and hands it to Raven.

"Prince?" She asks noticing the last name Diana has chosen.

"It is a nice name don't you think?" Diana asks as she backs out of the garage.

"Yes, I'm just surprised you didn't choose anything more Greek sounding?"

"Would make it a little too obvious I think. As long as I am in civilian, I'm just a secretary at the embassy." Actually that was what Raven thought Diana looked like when she emerged out of her room wearing a red jacket with a black skirt and a pair of black shoes with a little heel, to go with the look, she has tied her hair in a bun and wears a pair of red tinted glasses.

Raven on the other hand is wearing the clothes Batman sent her, after searching it for any kind of tracking devices in them. Having turned her skin to a pale pink, her eyes grey-blue and her hair black.

"So where do we begin?" She asks.

"After you hand in that check, I hear the new Jefferson Mall has it all." Diana says as they drive through the gate and down the road.

After being stopped for a routine check once on the way into Washington and about an hour's worth of waiting for a clearing of the check, the two females are finally inside the Jefferson Mall, a huge four story complex seemed to be made only of glass and white. Raven almost immediately looses interest before a small voice in her head tells her to look around anyways, you never knew in a place like this if there was something to your liking. After using the tactical parts of their minds on the map guide, they decide on the stores they want to visit. Diana favors the more 'decent' clothe shops, as she called them. Raven actually managed to find a small shop with her preferred darker taste in clothes and ends up spending most of her check there. Moving on she passes a pet shop, where she immediately feels bad about leaving Oracle and the Birds to take care of Cerberus. Browsing the other shops on her interest list, other clothe shops mainly but with less potential judging by their names, a book store that proved a disappointment and lastly ending up in a record store. She is not really sure how she ended up here other than seeing what was inside, when she lived with the others, it was impossible to go into one without having Beastboy and Cyborg show you several different things at once, which Starfire found out after braving the trip, which left her greatly confused. After they left, she hardly had time or really cared for music other than as background static, which the radio usually provided. She had once tried paying attention to some at one point and found much too akin to Starfire's personality when she was really happy, which would grind on Raven's nerves eventually. Oddly enough she finds Diana browsing through a CD rack at the back, with three bags at her feet.

"Fancy meeting you here." Raven says, startling Diana. Actually for Raven, it is not hard to find Diana, she can't put her finger on it, but something just radiates off the Princess that no one else does.

"Whoa Raven." Diana sighs relived. "I just thought you were that guy that had been following me through three stores."

"What? Is someone following you?" Raven asks in surprise.

"Some man in a brown trench coat and a hat." Diana sighs, hating to act this timid because of a man.

"Like the one at the counter?" Raven says spotting one matching the description standing at the counter looking over some magazine covers.

"That's him." Diana groans silently.

"One second." Raven says before walking over to the man, feeling something very familiar about him, spotting the black glove with two blue fingers, confirms who it is. "Knowing you, you only do this kind of thing after dark." She says as she stands next to him, he turns slightly before a wicked idea strikes Raven. "STALKER!" She yells at the top of her lungs drawing everyone's attention onto her and the man, who looks at her, panicked, for a second before storming out of the store.

"Umm, was that necessary?" The ginger bearded clerk behind the desk asks.

"Absolutely, don't worry it won't happen again." Raven says. "Sorry for the disturbance." He nods at her before returning to his customers as she returns to Diana. "One Nightwing we won't see again." She says with a smirk.

"That was Richard?" Diana asks in surprise.

"Yup, guess he didn't go home after delivering the package. So what brings you here?" She asks.

"Trying to see if the music we play on Themyscira has survived in the outside world." She replies. "But I fear it has not. How about you?"

"Wanted to see one of these stores at my own pace for the first time. I can't really claim that I have developed a taste in music."

"Man's World seems to have something for everyone." Diana says before resuming her browsing.

Raven begins as well going through every category picking out a record for each to sample, skipping those she knew before hand she wouldn't like. Electronic and pop quickly fell to this, thanks to Starfire, Cyborg and Beastboy who had habits of singing along or turning it up to levels that made Raven leave the room, except for one time when she just blew up the offending stereo. Having come onto the heavier category, she calls over Diana to have a look at some of the covers, which provide them with some muted amusement. After listening to a few, they agreed this was Richard's kind of music, loud and fast, an opposite of how he and Bruce worked, Raven was fairly sure she had heard something similar being played in the tower during Robins solo training. Leaving the store with a few selections each, they have lunch on the top floor, Diana's treat, before they head back to the embassy.

"Batman I tell you, Diana had someone with her, and it was not Raven." Nightwing says into his communicator while he hides in an alley near the shopping center.

"_How would you know? She can shapeshift."_

"But it's not like Raven to just change her appearance, and I found her in a shopping mall." Nightwing argues.

"_Do you think she traded shoes in Gotham while looking like you knew her? Think Richard, Hippolyta picked Raven to go to the Ball with Diana for a reason, why would she change her mind all of a sudden?"_

"The girl yelled at me in the record store… arg…!" He sighs as he realizes Bruce is right.

"_You followed Diana around in a shopping mall in a thinly disguised costume and Raven reacted when she found out."_ Batman surmises.

"She called me a stalker in the middle of a store." Richard suddenly feels amused at the whole thing.

"_Make sure you apologize to Diana when you can."_ Batman says. _"I know you have feelings in this, but you need to keep a clear head for now. I have a feeling the Ball is a potential target for the one who's been doing all of the kidnappings."_

"Why do you think that?" Nightwing asks.

"_Bushido, Katana and Zee were reported breaking into a S.T.A.R. Labs subsidiary in Seattle last night, Zatanna knocked out the security cameras but there are several missing guards now with at least one missing an arm."_

"What?!"

"_My theory is that this was a demonstration; someone wants us to know they can drive heroes to this."_ Batman explains. _"With so many political representatives at the Ball, a strike like the one in Seattle could have global consequences."_

"You want me to keep watch on the White House?" Nightwing asks connecting the dots.

"_Yes, whoever is behind all of this will know one of the most physically powerful people will be present tomorrow night and will compensate for it. They are less likely to know of Raven, but I want you there in case they do." _

"Well, then I will hope you won't catch me on the six-o-clock news tomorrow." Nightwing says knowing he has he work cut out for him, infiltrating the White House is no easy task under normal circumstances and with the Ball it is bound to be harder.

"_I won't."_ Batman says before killing the line.

_Gütenberg Mansion;_

"They look good on you." Diana comments at Ravens newly bought black pants and shirt. The pants are a tight pair made of a thick canvas material with worn patches on her thighs, and a t-shit reading 'Get lost!' written in white.

"Thank you, so does yours." Raven replies at the leather skirt and green jacked Diana has bought. "Any news from Batman?" She asks.

"No, but we wouldn't. It's Nightwing that has the problem." Diana says as she leans back in one of the seats at the wooden table on the south terrace. Raven moves to join her, they sit and enjoy the silence for a few moments in the afternoon sun.

"It is a nice place you have here."

"It's so quiet, no ocean, no sergeants shouting, it's so different than from Themyscira." Diana sighs. "I wonder how long that will last?"

"For as long as it can." Raven continues, knowing that with Diana having her address here, it has made the building a target. "So what are we doing the rest of the day?"

"I'm not sure." Diana sighs as she looks over the garden. "Have anything in mind?"

"Sparring." Raven smirks. "Can't have us growing soft up to the Ball?"

"Spoken like a true Amazon." Diana smiles before getting up to change.

_DPHQ, Austria:_

"Hey Star, how's it hanging?" Beastboy asks the alien princess who is still basking in the sun, _"Bit like a lizard."_ he notes to himself. It suddenly it hits him that she is not floating but sitting on the bench and that she looks sad.

"I am not doing the hanging." She says sadly.

"What's wrong?" Beastboy asks as he sits down next to her.

"I was merely thinking about my homeworld and about the consequences, my liberation may have caused."

"You want to go back?" He asks, knowing she wouldn't want to be the cause of a war.

"I feel as if I should, one day." She sighs. "But I am still weak and it will be a long while before I am able to make the journey."

"You know we'll help you." Beastboy says confidently.

He wasn't sure why or how, but since they retrieved her, Garfield had felt something special towards Starfire. It wasn't just pity; he knew he already pitied her for what she had gone through, but there was more. When she was blind deaf and mute, he had nearly spent all of his waking hours with her, providing a familiar face for her. Beastboy sighs, he thinks he's fallen in love with the alien.

"Why do you sigh, friend Beastboy?" Starfire asks, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"I think I just realized I have feelings for someone." He says, wondering if he has the guts to tell her.

"Oh?" Beastboy takes a second to bunch up his courage to answer.

"ALL'RIGHT YALL, WAFFELS ARE SERVED!" Cyborg yells from inside the castle, puncturing Beastboys courage and distracting Starfire who squeals with delight before flying inside.

"Thanks Cy." Beastboy grumbles before following. Unnoticed by any of them, several rapidly moving shadows follow after them.

_Gütenberg Mansion;_

"I fear one day I may have to relinquish my armor to you if you keep this up." Diana says with a smile as the two of them lie floating in the pool, neither of them with any clothes on. They had been sparring for the better part of two hours with the majority of the victories going to Diana.

"You give me too much credit but let's hope not, I don't do bright colors." Raven unknowingly returns the smile, since both of them are floating with their faces to the sky.

"I'm sure Hephaestus could do something about that." Diana adds.

"So, can I ask how that competition was?" Raven asks, meaning the competition where Diana officially won the right to the armor.

"Brutal." Diana starts. "There were 30 of us that wanted and thought we could do it. In the end it was only me and Artemis left to see who could deflect more arrows using our bracelets. Artemis fell when we had three fired at us."

"I assume you weren't wearing the armor then." Raven ads, wondering if she could resist using her own powers in such a situation.

"Correct, but I could be considered a cheater, since I do have my own blessings. You know most of us weren't born in the real sense?" She asks, Raven stops floating to look at her.

"Really?"

"Really. Even because of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Heracles, my mother went thousands of years with a desire to have a child of her own. While no one noticed and the want was particularly strong, she would in the middle of the night walk to beach and sculpt an image of the thing she could never have in the wet sand. One night, the gods saw fit to bless her and made her sculpture become the real thing. And thus was I born. The rest of our sisters were created in the same fashion, only with the Five as the sculptors."

"It's a beautiful story." Raven says sincerely before falling silent. "So I guess you were blessed to be superior to the others?"

"Yes, as my mother said, the gods came personally to do it. Demeter blessed me with the strength of Gaea, Aphodite with her beauty and love. Grey Eyed Pallas Athena blessed me with her great wisdom. Artemis granted me enhanced senses and Hermes gave me his speed."

"Did the others even have a chance?" Raven asks.

"Of course, since I wasn't allowed to use any of those powers during the contest. They had Magala to make sure I didn't." Diana says offhandedly.

"Like I had Philipus?" Raven asks with a smirk.

"Besides that Magala stayed at my mother's side, yes." Diana replies while leaning back again.

"So do we have a plan for tomorrow?" Raven continues after a few moments of silence.

"Well, we are expected to arrive around five. Before that we probably have to spend two hours getting prepared, and 50 minutes to get there. The rest of the day I figure we need to get our heads ready for it." She sighs.

"You sound uncomfortable." Raven notes.

"Like you, I would prefer being somewhere else than there, but we have our orders." Diana continues. "How about you?" She returns to the argument from yesterday.

"Like you said, we have our orders." Raven sighs. "So are there any countries in particular we don't like?"

"Only those who openly suppress the rights of women." Raven can guess there will be a few problems with some countries. "But we have to be nice to them, since we are all guests. I just want to warn you, since they know me; they will try to bring out their more unpleasant ideas on you."

"Yippee." Raven sighs.

"When you decide to grace my kitchen with your presence, dinner is almost served!" Ferdinand yells from the doorway before he disappears again.

"Should we?" Raven asks.

"Let's." Diana agrees.

"I won't ask you to drink in the manner of Artemis and the others did. But can I coax you to try this?" Diana asks while pointing at a bottle of Themysciran wine, one of the items in the box Diana had carried inside.

"You do realize I have never touched alcohol before?" Raven asks, wondering if Diana had forgotten the dinner at Hippolyta.

"So you don't really know if you go haywire or not." Diana counters. "At least try once and then you can say you know for certain."

"Ok, just half a glass then." Raven agrees, somehow getting the idea that Diana will keep trying.

"Be careful young one, the wines of Themyscira have quite a kick." Ferdinand mentions with some amusement in his voice as Raven takes a whiff of the red wine in her glass. "And don't drink it all at once." He says, letting Raven take a sip of it before she empties the glass. After swallowing, she coughs.

"It's good, isn't it?" Diana asks as she pats Raven on the back.

"It is." Raven agrees after she stops coughing. "But let's not test fate tonight."

"Agreed, you two do have an important day tomorrow." Ferdinand adds while taking the bottle away from Diana and putting the cork back into its neck, fearing to have to deal with two hung-over Amazons.

"Well at least we still have water." Diana sighs; she already had her one glass.

"And in great amounts." Ferdinand adds, as he walks over to retrieve a glass decanter with water, leaving the wine at the sink.


	23. Presidents Ball

"What are you watching?" Superman asks as he has noticed Batman had being suspiciously occupied by a TV screen for over 15 minutes now while on monitor duty.

"Just the arrival of the guests to the Ball." Batman replies as Superman moves to stand behind him.

"You only need to ask Diana to wear a dress if you want to see her in one." Superman mentions with a smirk.

"Actually I am more interested in how she and Raven will arrive." He says as the Saudi-Arabian ambassador arrives, a tall man with bushy black eyebrows and mustache accompanied by his wife who is almost completely covered by her white clothing.

"Looks like one of yours." Superman notes as a very large white truck pulls up before the cameras, the car looks more at home in a cross country race than in the current environment, but it is completely clean.

"It is." Batman confirms, it was a favor Diana had asked him to accommodate her driver for tonight. The valet opens the rear door, letting Diana exit the vehicle to the expected shower of photography lights. After Diana has had the camera's have their pictures, she moves aside and let's Raven exit the vehicle, the other woman pauses for a brief second when seeing all of the cameras before continuing.

"She was surprised." Superman notes; getting a nod of agreement from Batman. "I hope Jimmy is getting some good pictures." The red head had been very excited and surprised when Perry White ordered him to be present at the White House tonight.

"You faltered." Diana notes as Raven takes up the agreed position they would enter the ballroom in, slightly behind Diana's right.

"I have some bad experience with journalists." Raven replies.

"Good thing they were only allowed their photographers then." Diana smiles as they walk down a straight hall, seeing the warmly lit ball room up a head. The doorway is flanked by two men each dressed in black dinner suits. As they draw close, one of them takes a deep breath before announcing their arrival.

"Introducing the honorable Raven; Ephor. And the honorable Diana, Princess of Themyscira, Theoroi of Themyscira to the United States and the World." He says loudly as they pass him.

"So what now?" Raven asks as they walk down the small flight of stairs to the floor.

"Now we try and look pleasant and try not to make the men wet themselves in fear." Diana replies, sounding amused, as she smiles at a diplomat that they pass. "Remember, they are scared of us just because of where we come from."

"Noted." Raven replies while letting her senses confirm Diana's words; the people around that are looking at them are definitely slightly worried, most of them anyways. She doesn't notice Diana separating herself from her, heading to the refreshment table.

"Excuse me, but I believe I have seen you somewhere before." A voice says next to her, which to Ravens ears places the owner as originating from Japan or around that part of the world. Turning to face the owner, a short Asian man with short graying hair accompanied by a woman at his height, she is wearing a black dress with a white shawl while he is wearing a black tuxedo. "But are you not the Raven of the Teen Titans?" He asks.

"Yes, I am." Raven replies and smiles slightly. "And you are?" She asks, not wanting to offend anyone by placing names wrong.

"Oh please forgive me, I am Yasuo Fukunda." He says while bowing slightly, which Raven does as well. "And this is my wife Kiyoko." The woman bows as well smiling pleasantly. "I am Japans representative to the States. I saw you during the celebrations after your adventure in Tokyo." The memory brings a smile to Raven's face.

"Yes, I remember I ended up being a gum mascot." This gets a chuckle out of the diplomat.

"Ah yes, unfortunately the factory closed two years ago." He replies. "I am curious, how you ended up her as an, Ephor?" He asks, making sure he gets the word right. "I did not think you belonged to the fabled Themysciran's?"

"A series of events far too long to discuss here occurred which granted me membership." Raven says.

"Ah, no doubt." He says before spotting someone in the crowd behind Raven. "It was a pleasure meeting you; I hope we can talk later." He says before excusing himself and walks over to greet another man with his wife in tow, Raven notes with interest that the other man shakes hands with Yasou, a sign that the other man is not familiar with Japanese customs. Casting a quick glaze over the crowd, Raven locates Diana standing idly and alone near one of the walls, with a stern look on her face. Raven quickly moves over to hear why.

"Anything wrong?" She asks.

"Only that the Qurac ambassador's second over there insisted I should be at the side of my husband, like a good woman." Diana seethes. "I am trying not to go punch him for his insolence." She continues, staring in the direction of a black man, dressed in a colorful hat and robe chatting idly with another diplomat, while holding a tall glass of champagne in one hand.

"Say the word and his glass shatters." Raven mentions, understanding Diana's anger.

"No, we have to be on our best behavior. Even to pigs like him." Diana says sternly. "Had it been anywhere else I would have challenged him to a fight for his insult." She sighs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the President and First Lady of the United States; Jonathan Vincent Horne and Jannet Manning Horne." The announcer says loudly to draw the attention of the entire room, as a grey haired man, past his physical prime and a blond woman makes their way down a staircase that Raven was certain was closed off a second ago. The woman is wearing a light blue dress that reveals her shoulders and upper chest, while he is wearing a black tuxedo.

"He will do a round of greetings." Diana whispers while she gets her temper under control. Raven nods slightly before taking a step back, letting Diana be the first one the President greets.

"Diana, so good to see you again." The aging man says as he shakes Diana's with both of his, looking genuinely pleased to see her. "I see you have chosen someone else to accompany you today." He says as he notices Raven before he shakes hands with her.

"This is my Ephor, Raven. My mother saw fit to assign her to me after the last time." Diana smiles.

"Oh, and what is it your job is?" The President asks.

"I make sure her Highness fulfills her function to the expectation of her mother and our nation Mister President." Raven says, smiling slightly.

"Well, I will hope you both deliver what is expected of you." He says before moving on.

"Strange." Raven whispers to Diana as the President walks away to greet more of his guests. "The Japanese ambassador recognized me, but he did not."

"Oh I'm sure he knows, Amada Waller is in his ear after all." Raven digs up an image of a face she links to the name. "And she will most likely have warned against letting either of us within a hundred feet of him." She continues but sounds amused.

"The one I almost collided with after the League made its proposal?"

"The same. She was once the head of Cadmus, a black ops group formed to combat the League in case we went rogue, now she's the liaison between the US government and the League. That's her." She motions at the woman, who is standing near the entrance the president emerged from, dressed a black suit that would have fitted a man. "I won't be surprised if she wants a word with you before the night is done, be careful about what you say to her." Diana suddenly grimaces as she spots something. "Here we go again." She sighs as the Quraci second walks briskly towards them. Raven can feel Diana is not about to put up with the man once more so she moves to intercept him, placing herself between Diana and the man, more for his sake than hers.

"What do you think you are doing?! Addressing the President on your husband's behalf?!" He asks in an angry tone at Diana who just glares at him. He doesn't seem to realize Raven is in his way before she has planted on hand on his chest, forcing him to stop, he stares at her in disbelief.

"And who are you to speak to the Princess of Themyscira like that?!" Raven asks firmly while boring holes in him with her eyes, causing a few eyes to turn to them.

"Get your filthy hands off me servant!" He demands.

"Continue your verbal assault at your own peril; diplomatic immunity will not shield you." Raven warns coldly while letting a visible spark of red appear in her eyes causing the man to falter. He is about to say something before a hand pulls him away.

"Come my friend, do not harass these women while under a roof that is not your own." A white dressed middle-eastern man intervenes, clearly more worried than the Quraci and pulls him away, depositing him somewhere before returning. "I must offer my most sincere apologies Your Highness for my colleague's rude behavior, he is new here and his faith is…radical." He says to Raven who gives him a short nod in understanding and acceptance. "I hope you will enjoy the rest of the evening without such disrespect being shown again." He says before retreating to make sure the Quraci remains where he is.

"You are right, he should be punched." Raven grumbles to Diana.

"The president wouldn't like a brawl breaking out during his Ball." A man's voice says, grabbing both womens attention. Revealing the speaker to be a tall silver haired man with a straight face and wearing a grey suit.

"Agent Faraday, you seem to follow me around during all my diplomatic ventures." Diana says with a smile, like that, the sudden appearance of the man makes her anger evaporate like mist in sunlight.

"Only doing my job ma'am, now I hope you can go the rest of the evening without me having to remind you to keep the peace." He says before walking into the crowd towards where the Quraci was, leaving Raven somewhat confused.

"You know him?" She asks, making sure she is not speaking English.

"King Faraday, in charge of the security around the current President and the Vice President under the previous administration. He is nice enough when he is not warning me about all the guns he has pointing at me." Diana replies. "Thank you for shielding me by the way."

"It's my job to prevent you from causing an incident." Raven smiles back.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, as you now all have had the chance to get acquainted with one another, I will ask you to take your seats in the adjourning hall." The announcer says loudly as a pair of wooden doors are pushed open revealing said hall, with its round tables and brown tile floor and the massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Raven has an odd sense of panic as she finds out she is not to be seated with Diana, who is seated at one of the big tables, thankfully one of those with mostly Europeans. Raven finds herself seated with those who accompanied the ambassadors from Denmark, Egypt, Zandia, Turkey and Mexico. Which Raven guesses is a deliberate choice.

While the dinner is served, Raven takes a casual look at those at her table. The Egyptian is easy to recognize, as it is the same man that pulled the Quraci away from her and Diana. The Mexican is a slightly chubby woman with a pleasant face. The man from Zandia reminds Raven of a vampire from one of the movies she was once forced to watch, he has long white hair and almost white skin, both which clashes with his almost coal black eyes. Raven wonders if it is pure coincidence that she is seated between him and the Mexican, somehow she doubts it. The Turk is much like the Mexican woman in build, only paler, slightly taller and with more makeup. Out of all of them, the Dane seems almost out of place with his close cut hair and tanned skin. Also out of all of them, he seems to be the most relaxed of them, the women are obviously a little nervous, both of her and the Zandian, Raven notes. The Egyptian is nervous for some reason; Raven guesses it is fear of her doing something stupid near him. The Zandian is also nervous, but it seems to be for another reason. Finishing his appetizer, the Dane is the first to ask questions, as Raven predicted he would.

"Would it be rude to ask what had the Quraci so wound up earlier?" He asks both at Raven and the Egyptian.

"He wished to share his view on women." Raven replies flatly.

"Indeed, he is deeply religious." The Egyptian adds. "Also, I am not sure he knew who he was addressing." And Raven has to agree with him on that one, the Quraci was never really scared or worried. And you either had to be ignorant or immensely stupid to do what he did.

"Ahh, I see." The Dane replies. "I guess you are not a follower?" He asks the Egyptian.

"Oh no, like most of Egypt I am what you call a Sunni, and for my own views women should be treated with respect and fairness. But what of your beliefs my friend?" He asks back.

"Protestant Christian, but I don't visit church all that often." He replies. "How about you ladies?" He asks looking at the two other women.

"I am also Sunni." The Turkish woman replies, obviously a bit intimidated, possibly this wasn't a comfortable subject for her.

"Roman Catholic." The Mexican smiles, obviously happy for the question or just to be included.

"I am in a personal crisis at the moment regarding matters of faith." Raven says truthfully. Though she could say she was of Azerathian faith, she would ultimately be lying because of the life she had lead so far. Azerath's rather extreme kind of pacifism, super-heroing and joining a society of born warriors don't mix. And because she knows there are real gods, she is considering directing her faith to them instead, but she has not decided what to do as of yet and haven't asked Hemon or the others about.

"I and my nation all follow the Church of Blood. Erm, perhaps I can convince you and your sisters to join us?" The Zandian asks with a wheezing voice, like that of an old man. If Raven had been eating or drinking, she would have made a scene by spitting it out. But since she is not, she turns her head to regard the man coldly.

"I know of your faith, and you will do well not to mention it near me." She warns him while giving him a stare that could have frozen water. "If you will excuse me." She says before getting up from the table and leaves for the bathroom.

"Frosty." The Dane notes. "Any idea's why?" He asks the Zandian who seems surprised as well.

"I don't know." He stammers.

"I believe a change of subject would be prudent." The Egyptian says. "I hear your country is progressing remarkably with renewable energy sources?"

"Oh yes, we are aiming to have the majority of our energy come from it someday." The Dane answers.

Raven finds them deep into the energy discussion when she returns after a brief round of meditation in the ladies room, part of her wonders if those responsible for the seating's knew and had done it on purpose or if it had been a honest coincidence she ended up sitting next to a member of her father's cult. She doesn't dignify the Zandian with a glaze and ignores him completely when he speaks for then on.

As the evening progresses, Raven begins feeling oddly woozy but blames it on the heat in the room. Others seem to feel the same as her, as the Dane has unbuttoned his shirt a little and the Zandian seems like he has been left out in the sun too long, even the three from the warmer climates seem uncomfortable. One of the finely dressed guards open a window slightly to the night air, but it doesn't seem to help. Raven begins feeling suspicious about the wooziness, she only had water and she's felt well rested the entire day. Her fine hearing suddenly picks up a very faint wheezing sound from above, but her muscles feel too dulled to react, only able to look up at the ceiling, spotting a almost mist like green smoke coming from one of the vent grills. The last thing she sees before everything begins going dark, is one of the guards falling face first into the ground.

"_Nightwing to Watchtower! Nightwing to Watchtower!" _Richards's voice almost screams from the speakers in the monitor womb as the call is received.

"Watchtower receiving go ahead Nightwing." Mr. Terrific answers calmly.

"_It's been hit; the damn Presidential Ball has been hit!" _Nightwing yells.

"Wonder Woman and Raven are at the scene." He continues while alerting the Founders.

"_Gas everywhere, I saw Raven pass out."_ Nightwing continues._ "I am inside... they took them all, they have the President and the guests as well!"_

"Nightwing calm down, I need to know if you saw who did it?"

"_Shade, I saw Shade and a few others, but I couldn't tell who."_

"Good. Nightwing, the Founders will be with you shortly, you just sit tight."

"_Damnit!"_ Nightwing curses as the line goes dead.

"_Doom Patrol to Justice League, come in Watchtower."_ Another voice says.

"Justice League receiving, go ahead Mento."

"_Approximately seven hours ago, three individuals broke into our HQ and continued to kidnap Beastboy, Cyborg and Starfire. I'm streaming a security video to you now."_

"Mento, approximately 5 minutes ago someone attacked the Presidential Ball and kidnapped every diplomat in the room and that includes Wonder Woman and the President." He says while watching the video. "I believe both events could be connected." He continues as he sees the group disappear into a shadow. "Slade, Katana and Bushido, were all reported missing during these last weeks."

"_Beam us up; we want in on any strike you are about to make."_ Mento demands before killing the feed.

"Girls! What's that racket?!" Barbara yells as their Metropolis hideout is suddenly filled with the sound of barking.

"Cerberus, what's the matter?" Dinah asks as she passes the door to Barbara's terminal. "YIKES!" Dinah's exclamation brings the others out into the hallway to see what has Dinah so rattled. Rolling to the door frame Oracle can see why Dinah is surprised.

"What the hell is that?!" Huntress asks as they stare at the previously unassuming bulldog that is trying to dig its way out of the front door, its eyes are blazing yellow orbs while its skin is changing to red and a trail of flame is working its way down its spine. The Birds had been around it so long that they thought the dog was completely normal, Barbara can hear a call incoming from behind her. The dog suddenly turns to look at the women, revealing its orange flaring nostrils. It whines loudly before it disappears in a puff of foul smelling smoke.

"Guess Batman wasn't kidding." Barbara sighs before rolling back inside of her terminal. "Oracle here." He says as she receives the call.

"_Oracle, we need the Birds with the League, someone hit the Presidential Ball."_ Batman's voice says.

"Ok." Barbara says before muting her microphone. "Girls! To the gym, be prepared for teleportation!" Un-muting the microphone she says. "Ok they are ready. Batman, was Raven captured?"

"_Yes, along with Diana, the President and over 60 foreign dignitaries."_

"Be on the lookout for Cerberus, he started acting weird 2 seconds ago before he changed and disappeared."

"_I will, it may be the trying to find its owner. Batman out."_

_Jump City:_

"Seen the weather report Sarge?" Foley asks as Rancid comes out of his office with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Yup, a storm is coming. Big one too." He says. "Make sure we have the generators prepped for it. I don't want to hear about a prison break just because we lost power." He says knowing that something as small as a power outage could cause chaos in a prison like his.

"Got it." Foley replies before dialing up the prison engineers. "So you think the League was right?" He asks, returning to a topic the two had developed since Hawkgirls visit.

"Yeah." Rancid replies as Foley delivers the message. "But either she is too busy or has washed her hands of Jump City."

"Can't say I blame her. If she thought the entire city was like those nut cases that attacked her."

"No, I guess not." Rancid says as he walks to look out the glass doors and the rain that begins falling outside. "So how is that letter to Hawkgirl coming?" He asks with a smirk Foley can't see.

"Sir…?"

"I heard you whispering about the words you wanted to write." Foley sighs behind Rancid while heating up.

"I doubt I'll ever get it sent." Foley finally admits.

"Then grow a spine dude, a woman like her wants men with some backbone. Which I know you have somewhere in that body of yours. And that's an order!"

"Umm, yes Sir!"

"Good man." Rancid smirks as the first rumble of thunder rolls over them.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And now things will begin to go a little bit faster when the Monsters Ball gets going :)

And for those who might have suspected this...guess that's just me getting predictable :P

R&R


	24. Monsters Ball pt 1: The Monster is Loose

Raven can feel herself regaining consciousness before she has the will to open her eyes and when she does she's decided not to, as there are two people with her. "I don't know Lex; I get the willies just by looking at her." A female voice says, one that suggests the speaker is not speaking her native tongue, Raven doesn't recognize it, but she places it somewhere in Mid- to Eastern Europe in origins.

"Tala, you get the 'willies' around the Joker and Wonder Woman, and this is just a rank a file version of her." A deep voice sighs.

"I mean, there is something really different about her." Tala's voice continues. "In a very bad way."

"You are just worried that I will sacrifice you again my dear." Lex continues in a smug tone getting a sigh from Tala, Raven gets the sense that she's actually annoyed. "My sensors detect nothing other than what I would have expected from an Amazon. If she proves capable I should let Roulette start her business up again; this could be a good opener." Lex continues.

"That's callous Lex, very callous." Tala says in a disapproving tone.

"You like it that way, now come my dear and I might let you watch them break Wonder Woman." Lex says as a pneumatic hiss is heard.

"But what about her?" Tala asks.

"Jarvis is rigging a chip for her, in a few moments she won't be a problem." Lex says with a dismissive tone in his voice before two pairs of footfalls and the hiss announces their departure, both apparently unaware that Raven was awake during the last part.

Opening her eyes, she finds herself alone in a room flooded by red light, and restrained in a weird metal contraption that immobilizes her lower arms and legs while holding her up, giving the impression she is standing with stooped shoulders. She tries pulling at the thing, achieving nothing even when pulling with all her might. Sighing she calm's herself and lets her powers seep into the machine, they come racing back when she bumps into a barrier a few centimeters below the surface.

"So it is warded against magic, and strong enough to hold." She sighs before looking around herself for anything useful; she knows she can free herself if she can only locate the mechanism for the device holding her, as it apparently doesn't prevent her from using her powers. Letting a new sliver wander across the floor and the walls, she finds them warded against psionics and any sort of passage as long as the wards remain, except for sound which is only heavily muted. Raven admits it is a formidable prison as she finds nothing that controls the contraption inside the room. "Guess I will have to wait." She sighs, before noticing a camera pointing at her from a corner of the ceiling. "Just hope I can get to Diana in time." She whispers, the part she heard about breaking the princess has her worried and when coming from a man called Lex, she fears it is very possible.

"Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dum, I have my tea, yum yum.

But for a fair maiden, I have none.

Fear not, because I have something else.

Something for you, that will make you bow to someone else."

A light voice rhymes as it comes closer; the voice tells her the rhymer is a small man of stature. As he continues humming the hiss sounds again before the door opens, revealing a small man dressed in a green coat and top hat along with brown pants. Juggling her memory brings up the name for the dwarf; Jarvis Tech, the Mad Hatter. Raven almost loses her calm when she sees what he is carrying, a pair of silver bracelets, hers. She quickly sends out a small spark of her power to examine them, completely unnoticed by the man with the overbite.

"Hello there." He says happily. "I merely wished to examine these." He says while lifting up the bracelets, Raven instantly knows he is lying as she disables a very unwelcome addition in them both, but plays along hoping to fool the man into releasing her.

"How very kind of you." She grumbles. "I would have them back now."

"Of course, of course." He says while holding them in one hand he fumbles in one of his large pockets for a small remote. "Forgive me, but I don't trust you to not just jump me if I let you out right now."

"_Of course you wouldn't." _Raven says to herself as she feels the machine release its grip around her left arm.

"Now just hold out your arm and your accessory will be returned to its proper place." He says giving her a toothy smile, while Raven does as asked. "A tight fit." The small man grunts as he strains to return the bracelet to its owner, leaving him red faced and slightly winded when he manages the feat. "Good, now just hold still while I get the other one." He says, Raven tries to remain blank, guessing just one of the additions would have been enough, as he lets her other arm out and begins pushing the bracelet on, giving up half way. "Oh why do I try? Put it on." He orders, Raven makes sure she moves mechanically with her arms and keeps staring through the open door while she makes the bracelets sit properly again.

It is strange, she thinks, she felt almost naked knowing they weren't there, like they have become a part of her. She had only removed them on brief occations since she received them, during showers and when she needed to take a good long hard look at herself after she ended the life of the Cyclops. Back on the mountain she had held them up as a symbol of what her life as an Amazon meant against her cloak, which she summoned, to act as a representative of her old life. In one hand she had a life filled with fear and worry, sure it had had its moments of relief, but ultimately it was the life of a person who was scared of life itself. In the other hand, she held a new life, filled with danger and duty, but one where she was not afraid of the next day. Hemon and her mother cautioned her of the dangers of Amazon life, but agreed with her that her old life was one no one should have to live, much less return to when given an option before saying that ultimately, Raven herself had to make the decision.

With no prophecies of doom to dominate her existence, she is a free person now and had been ever since Trigon's fall, but she kept to her old ways in fear of rejection from her friends. And there she stood on the mountain, with a life in each hand, looking at her old life, she knew she wanted to keep bits and pieces of it, her friends, her cloak, her cool attitude amongst other things, but she didn't want to be afraid of life anymore and with Diana, Artemis, Io, Antiope, Philipus, Penelope and the others she felt like she could finally be the person she wanted to be and show it; a fighter. She decided there that she would say farewell to her old life and embrace her new one, but the old one needed a proper funeral; it did after all see some amazing things during its time and it was because of it she now had her new one. So the pyre for her old life was the mountain peak; the mourning period was the quiet time Raven had as she reigned in her emotions after letting them run wild. And now these bracelets symbolize this new life.

"Good, now hold on." The hatter says as Raven feel the device lets go of her legs, she calmly steps forwards and waits, while letting her powers disconnect the camera. "Hold out you right arm." He says, Raven does as asked wordlessly as he steps in front of her. "Well, everything seems in order." He says while the door behind him is slowly closing. "Ok, come along." Says as he turns around as the door closes. "Oh, that's not right."

"Taking away someone's free will is never right." Raven says from behind him before she puts a hand on his shoulder, turns him around and lifts him up to her eye height.

"Put me, down! I command you!" He squirms.

"No you don't." Raven says as her features change into her demonic form, Jarvis stops squirming.

"What are you?" He asks.

"I am the one with the questions little man. Your answers will determine the immediate state of your wellbeing." Raven says.

"I…I…I know nothing." He stammers.

"Now Jarvis, lying is the wrong way to begin. I thought your many encounters with Batman would had taught you that much?"

"You…you aren't Batman." He says, Raven can feel his fear run rampant.

"No. I'm much, much worse." She says while giving him a wicked smile, showing her fangs while caressing his cheek with her nails. "Last chance." She says as she grabs his left hand and twists it to the breaking point.

"Wha…what do you want to know?" He whimpers.

"Where is Wonder Woman?" She asks.

"The level below us." He says, Raven stares at him before twisting the limb forcibly. Jarvis screams loudly as his wrist is crushed and his arm breaks in several places.

"Wrong answer." Raven says coldly as if she had done nothing. "You have three more limbs to get it right, after that it will really begin to hurt." She warns as she swaps hands to his right.

"B…b…bottom level." He cries, this time he doesn't lie.

"Right answer. Who else is here from the Ball?" She asks.

"E…e…ever…" Jarvis manages before something unexpected happens. From the back of his neck, electricity plays out over his body. Rave only drops him out of surprise, but in the time it takes for Jarvis to reach the ground, Raven can smell cooked meat, Jarvis didn't even have a chance to make a sound before he was gone.

"NO!" She exclaims before kneeling next to the man and summons her healing energy and places her hands on his chest, pouring her energies into him.

"_Raven."_ Hemon's voice sounds in her head as her visages return to normal. _"Raven." _He calls again as she doesn't heed him._"RAVEN!" _His third attempt succeeds and she looks inwards. _"He is gone, you can do no more."_ The old man says sadly.

"No…no…this wasn't supposed to happen!" Raven sighs, as she looks at the small body of the man.

"_No it wasn't."_ Hemon agrees.

"I killed him…" Raven sighs on the verge of tears.

"_No!"_ Hemon says sternly. _"No, you didn't, examine him for proof."_ Hemon advises, Raven nods and starts feeling the man with her hands for anything, finding the fried remote in his left pocket and a large card with ¾ written on it in his right. Moving up she find something at the back of his head, turning him over she sees a small circular piece of metal sitting at the base of his skull, his singed hair covers most of it, but from the scars around it, Raven can tell it has been there for some time and is attached to the bone beneath._ "You see, this is what took his life."_

"I am still at fault Hemon, if I had not forced him to answer, he might be alive now." Raven sighs.

"_No it is not Raven."_ Arealla says. _"Like it was not your fault that the bank robber shot his companion while your back was turned."_ Raven remembers that day clearly, more than any other, it was the first time she deliberately crippled a man mentally. There were five of them, all with pistols and a waiting car outside the bank. Raven had tried using her martial arts to take them down, after turning the car over using her powers. When three of them were down Raven had seized the last one to relive him of his weapon by physical means, she had not seen the driver emerge out of the car with his own gun. Police said he probably wanted to shoot her in the back, but his aim was poor, and the bullet entered his friend's eye before blowing out the back of his skull. Raven has stood shocked for a second with the body before she attacked the man, still only halfway out of the car. _"Now you have to go, before they do the same to your friend."_ Raven looks up in horror at the idea of Diana suffering the same fate. _"But assume all those you meet has this implanted."_

"I will." Raven says sternly. "But I will face up to what this brings." She says as she picks up Jarvis and puts him in the corner of the room, so no one will fall over him, placing his tall hat on his chest and closes his eyes. "I am sorry." She says before leaving him and the room.

_Deeper in the complex:_

"Oh Lexy! It seems our friend Jarvis has stopped blinking." The white faced devil known as the Joker says as he sits with his feet up on a console with many blinking lights, each with a name beneath them.

"Hmm…What?!" Lex Luthor says as he looks up from a microscope and walks over to confirm it; The Hatters light is no longer blinking. "That idiot." He sighs. "Get Bane and some of the others down there! Tell them to look for a grey skinned Amazon." He says frustrated.

"Oh goodie." Joker says happily as he pulls out a hand full of dice before rolling for who get to joins Bane. Satisfied he picks up a microphone and clears his throat. "Ahem, attention, attention." He says in a slightly feminine sounding voice. "Will Dr. Bane, Dr. Quinn, Captain Cold and erm patient Starfire please report to cell D-12, we seem to have an escaped Amazon on our hands. AND CHECK FOR BODIES!" He yells the last part before closing the link.

"She will head straight for Wonder Woman." Lex notes. "Get down there and see if you can help Cheetah and the others."

"Why Lexy, I thought you'd never ask." The clown says as he pulls out a old fashioned razor and leaves the room with a vicious grin on his face.

"You can't break her like that." A woman says from the shadows.

"Give it up Circe, I am not going to let you turn her into a pig for your own amusement." Lex sighs as the purple haired woman steps out of the shadows.

"I'll have my chance." Se purrs. "Noticed one of your vaunted camera's are off?" She asks, spotting a black screen on the wall of monitors that circles through all the feeds being provided them.

"What?" Lex asks as he looks up spotting the screen as well. "Joker…" He sighs, he was sure the maniac had seen it go out before noticing the flipped switch on the console getting a growl out of Lex.

"Do you want me to join the hunt?" Circe asks as she takes up the seat Joker occupied.

"No, keep doing what I asked you to, the others will bring back the stray, we are too close to be distracted." Circe sighs before vanishing.

_The White House:_

"_Oracle to Batman."_ Barbara's voice sounds in Batman's earpiece as he crawls along the air duct in the White House.

"Go ahead Oracle." He says as he continues moving, having spotted something up here, but too far away to reach.

"_I've located Cerberus." _She says. _"Unless you know of any other giant, burning, demon dogs with three heads?"_

"Where?" He asks.

"_You're not going to believe this; Jump City, California."_

"Get everyone there, Cerberus is heading for Raven. We find Raven, we find the others." Batman instructs as he grabs the device he saw and begins crawling backwards.

"_Roger, Oracle out."_ It takes a little while before Batman makes it out of the air duct, being met by Faraday.

"This was in your vent system." Batman says as he tosses the device to the man.

"We check those shafts daily." The man says as he passes the device to a guard.

"I know and so did whoever did this." Batman states. "I have to go; we have a lead on the whereabouts of the hostages."

"Then I am going with you." The man says sternly after grabbing Batman's shoulder earning him a glare.

"Fine. Jump City, California. Follow the dog with three heads." Batman says before leaving by the open window.

"You heard him! Get moving!" Faraday orders as he runs out of the room.

_Jump City:_

"Zatanna, please…" Diana says in a tired voice looking at her old colleague, trying once again to break through to her. Ever since she regained consciousness, she had been surrounded by people, first a gloating Lex Luthor who had Tala in tow. After explaining his intention of breaking her without the Mad Hatters technology, the pair had since been replaced by others; Lobo who had pounded away at her body with his fists while making rude remarks about what he would like to do with her alone. Zatanna who has not said a single straight word other than causing her pain by speaking backwards, her blank eyes tell Diana that she is not aware of anything. Dr. Psycho, an old adversary of hers is constantly trying to warp her perception of reality. And lastly Cheetah is also here, licking her claws after each rip she pulls over her body, soaking large parts of her once fine dress in blood. Diana herself has been powerless to defend herself, with her arms and legs trapped in the machine that keeps her spread out like an X. She is sore and angry, but remains defiant, but it is getting harder while she can do nothing to defend herself.

"anaiD leef naip!" Zatanna says as her magic takes hold and sets Diana's nerves on fire once more; she clenches her teeth and bites back the pain while tears begin forming in her eyes from the effort. Next is Lobo, she knows.

Raven melts into the shadows as the group of people approaches. First to pass her, is the human juggernaught known as Bane, followed by a smiling Harley Quinn, a grim faced man in a blue and white polar suit, and, to Raven's horror, a blank eyed Starfire. Raven follows behind them, remaining unseen as they make their way to the cell she woke up in. The man in blue is the first to enter.

"She's killed the Hatter." The man sighs.

"No, his chip was activated, look." A deep Hispanic voice says, Raven guesses it is Bane. "Perhaps Luthor has a mole in his inner circle?"

"Can we bring marshmallows?" A Harley asks.

"No!" The blue dressed man says. "Show some respect, will you?"

"Aww. What do you think Starry?" Harley asks, Raven looks inside, seeing the Jokers henchwoman leaning casually against Starfire who stands with bent knees and slumped shoulders. The two others are kneeling by Jarvis's corpse.

"Hell of a way to go." The blue clad man sighs. "How'd we ever get messed up in this?" He asks Bane.

"Lure of money." Bane sighs.

"Aww, come on, you love having a bomb strapped to the back of your heads." Harley says while pulling on Starfire's upper lip.

"I swear if you had one you wouldn't be so happy." The blue man grumbles.

"You're just jealous. Nah nah." Harley taunts. Raven is busy trying to figure out how to deal with this, she can't leave Starfire with these people, she could suspend them all by their clothing, but she doesn't know what exactly triggers the chips she knows at least two of them are wearing. Pouncing on them hard and fast could give her the time to examine the chips and maybe break their hold over the people they are attached to, but that still meant she had to pacify Starfire. Sighing she opts to do it physically as she can't take the chance of Harley carrying a trigger device.

"Are you looking for me?" She asks as she appears in the doorway, surprising the group.

"Oh goodie! Get her boys!" Harley claps her hands; Raven is quick to prioritize as the blue clad man draws a pistol of a strange design. Dodging under Starfire's punch, Raven pushes her out of the door and into the opposite wall. Moving forwards quickly, she takes advantage of Bane being too big for the room to move properly and dodges under a swing he takes at her. Being behind Bane she is now face to face with the blue clad man with the pistol and a pair of blue snow glasses.

"End of the line toots." He says before Raven slaps the gun out of his hand. "Or not." He manages before being backhanded into the wall, making him drop onto Jarvis.

"I always wanted to test myself against one of your kind." Bane says behind her before she is embraced in a bear hug and lifted off the ground.

"Aww, give her a good hug!" Harley cheers. Raven squirms furiously in the giants arms feeling her breath becoming a little shorter, but she can tell Bane is using all of his strength on her already.

"A little help perhaps?" He asks. "Ouf!" He says as the backside of Ravens head is slammed into his mask, making him drop her in suprise. Raven rolls as she hits the ground and stands up to face them man, catching the first huge fist directed at her and the one following it, leaving the two straining against each other.

"Go Bane, go Bane!" Harley cheers.

"Harley damnit!" Bane swears between clenched teeth as Raven slowly but surely begins pushing him back.

"I think we know now." Raven says confidently before she suddenly gives up resisting him, it happens too fast for Bane to react; all the strength he is using is suddenly pushing against nothing and he pushes himself forwards. Raven reacts quickly by holding onto his right arm, using it for leverage, she plants both heels squarely on his chest, crunching several bones before he collapses on top of her.

"Uh oh, Starry!" Harley cries as Bane is thrown into the air and Raven gets up, seeing Starfire standing in the door, Raven quickly moves over to Harley and grabs her arm and her head, forcing her to stand between herself and Starfire who is powering up her starbolts. "No wait!" Starfire relents immediately at Harleys command. Raven takes a quick look at Harleys' neck, seeing no implant there.

"You don't have a chip." She says. "Order her to stand down."

"Get help quick!" Harley yells. Cursing, Raven pushes the woman head-first into the wall before racing after Starfire, she notes is stumbling down the corridors.

"Sorry Kori." She says as she forces the aliens mind to shut down, causing the princess to collapse on the ground. Picking her fallen form up, she finally notes, how much better she looks than from what she remembers she looked like and that she is wearing one of her old uniforms. Carrying her back to the cell, she sees Bane is getting up again. Putting Starfire down, Raven quickly subdues the large man by forcing him onto the ground face first; keeping him there by holding his left arm up, it gives her a clear view of the device sitting at the back of his black mask between the tubes.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"Looking at the chip at the back of your head." She replies, letting her powers examine it closer she finds it to be tiny, but apparently has nothing to do with the state of mind the wearers were in. Raven takes a guess the Hatter was needed for that, possibly something else from what she knew of Jarvis' tech.

"You can't break it without setting it off." Bane sighs, Raven ignores him as she finds the small piece of the thing that connects it to its power source. "NAYYYARG!" Bane growls as a tiny explosion at the back of his head sounds and Raven lets go, letting him clutch the wounded area.

"If I am not wrong, the device should be inactive now." Raven says. "I have questions I tried asking Jarvis. I still want answers!" Bane nods from the ground before forcing himself to get up.

"And you shall have them, Raven, is it not?" Raven blinks at the name in suprise, before remembering Bane was far more than a muscleheaded oaf, but it makes her wonder why Luthor didn't recognize her.

"Good, start talking, what is all this? Where are we?"

"This is Lex Luthor's latest attempt to gain absolute power and rid the world of super powered people. It started many months ago when he reappeared after two years, it was small at first, he reestablished his control of his company, but kept it hidden. After that, he began recruiting willing help; people like me who take pay. At some point the Joker barged in and wanted to tag along, why Luthor didn't shoot him, I do not know. It was Joker who suggested that men like me who are paid for our services, could prove disloyal. He started with the loose cannons telling the rest of us, it was merely to keep them in line, but eventually all of those outside his inner circle had these things implanted. When we were all under his control, he began considering abducting heroes and 'sway' them to his cause, with the aid of Dr. Psycho it became a reality. What Lex plans to do exactly, I don't know and I doubt anyone besides him and Joker knows. Where we are? None of us knows I am afraid, the Shade was the first to have his mind scrambled so badly he can't tell us, now he can only follow orders and take us in and out on the errands Lex sends us on." Raven nods at this, felling the truth from him, there are a lot of prisoners here and not all of them are in cells.

"Is it this Dr. Psycho that did that to Starfire?" She asks.

"Yes, him and those _bujah_ with him, both to her and the two other Titans that was brought in with her, and the other heroes." Raven's eye twitches, but remains calm, she has to.

"I was taken from a Ball hosted by the President, were Wonder Woman and I the only ones?" She asks.

"No, all of the diplomats are gathered in a big cell down the hall, under heavy guard. Whatever Luthor intends to do, it will happen soon."

"Do you have access to them?" Raven asks, wondering if Bane was saying that last part to possibly forget about him.

"No, only Luthor and the guards there has. We are all restricted to different levels with a few exceptions." He continues while testing his ribs.

"So you don't know how many or who you actually have here." Raven surmises.

"No. But I can give you the names of the others on this level." Raven nods for him to continue. "Besides these three, Killer Frost and a small man called Gizmo are also here." Raven seems to think for a second. "So, what will you do now?"

"I have obligations to free Wonder Woman, but I can't deny that I put the diplomats at risk if I do." She sighs.

"And about myself?" He asks.

"Obviously I have to detain you somehow." Raven continues.

"If I may say suggest something?" Raven nods. "If you get past the guards, you can arm the prisoners, I can stay with them as added protection."

"And let the man who broke Batman's back into the same room as the President?" Raven rolls her eyes at him.

"You misunderstand me, Amanda Waller is also in there, she can vouch for me." He says Raven quirks an eyebrow. "We have worked together before." Raven can sense he is being sincere.

"Ok, I will see if she can, but if not, you end up here again." He nods at her.

"May I suggest you remove the chip in Captain Cold?" A small bang sounds from both Starfire and the unconscious man as Raven picks up her friend.

"Lead the way." She says.


	25. Monsters Ball pt 2: Dr Light

"Done the head count Amanda?" Vincent Horne asks as the large woman returns to him, he, Amanda and his wife and some 60 people are being detained in a large brightly lit and empty room made of steel by the looks of it.

"Yes, Mister President, every guest at your Ball is here, with two exceptions, the Themyscirans." Amanda says as she stands before the pair that like most were sitting on the floor.

"Do you think, they may be part of this?" Jannet Horne asks while holding onto her husband's right arm, she is obviously scared, like many of the people present.

"No ma'am, I do not think so. For a number of reasons." Vincent nods at Amanda to continue. "Using gas and taking hostages like this is against the code of honor the Amazon's live by, if anything they would have killed every man in the room, not abduct them. Also I have known Diana for years."

"But why aren't they here then?" Jannet continues.

"From what I can tell, this room is just what it seems, a metal box, and not one with thick enough walls to stop Diana. I am almost sure she is being detained somewhere else."

"What about the other one?" Vincent asks.

"She is the reason I am not sure, Mister President. I know of her, but not as an Amazon." She sighs before continuing. "Eight years ago the first Robin broke with the Batman in Gotham and moved his activities to Jump City. There he met four others by random chance and formed the original Teen Titans. Robin as the team leader, Cyborg the second in command, Starfire an alien princess, Beastboy a greenskinned shapeshifter and Raven a haunted mystic from another dimension. I am almost certain that the two Raven's are one and the same."

"Sounds like she's a hero to me?" The President asks.

"Possibly." Amanda says. "But, the Raven from Jump City disappeared over a year ago. A little over two months ago I bumped into someone who was claimed to be that Raven, but looked nothing like her."

"The one tonight looked a bit special to me." Vincent muses.

"That's how the Jump City Raven looked normally, the one I bumped into, had red skin, four eyes and grey hair." Amanda continues. "I have been spending a good deal of time trying to figure that one out, but with no mystics on our payroll, I have not been able to confirm anything." She sighs.

"Could they all be the same person?" Jannet asks.

"I am not sure, the file I have on the Jump City Raven, told of a mystic that developed some expertise in martial arts after the Titans disbanded. She was supposedly very timid when around others outside of the Titans and their work; I find it hard to match her with the Amazons. The one I met had physically humbled Diana, something very few I know of can do alone."

"Well, I hope you have a chance to figure it out Amanda." Vincent says. "Anything to report on the morale?"

"The Quaci delegation has also noticed the absence of the Themysciran's and is trying to gain some kind of support for their theory that this is all their doing. So far he has only won the ear of a few of the middle-eastern countries, but it is mostly half hearted. A few of the diplomats with military experience are trying to keep people's hopes up."

"Good, perhaps I should…." He is cut off as first a yell is heard before a host of automated gunfire is heard from the outside; inside the room a lot of women begin crying in fright. The gunfire can be heard clattering off the walls, between the gunfire they can hear curses being mixed with screams and prayers, slowly the gunfire dies down, the last shot is followed by a hollow clank against the wall of the prison room. "Faraday." The president sigh's his relief.

"I'm not so sure." Amanda voices her own opinion.

"This will work." Deep Hispanic voice says before a hiss announces the opening of the door, the people room doesn't know if there are doomed or saved.

The room shifts noticeably as the huge shape of Bane enters the room, dragging four guards after him by their collars, dressed in white, grey and black camouflage uniforms, matching helmets and bulletproof vests. The guards leave a slight trail of blood after them. After him comes a grey skinned female with purple hair, a ruined dress and bloodstained hands, dragging four more guards after her. Leaving them at the door, she heads back out of the room before returning a moment later carrying an orange skinned woman in a skimpy dress, in her arms. Bane has deposited his share of guards in an unoccupied corner of the room, and moved the others there as well by the time she returns. Putting the alien on the ground in the opposite corner from the guards, before she waves her hand at the door and four automatic rifles float in side before being put by the door that closes slightly.

"I knew it!" Someone shouts from the back of the room, Raven ignores the yell, knowing the one it is coming from.

"Your attention please!" Bane calls as Raven turns around to face the room.

"I know you are all frightened, angry and confused." Raven takes over. "Over the last few months several extraordinary people, heroes and villains alike have been reported missing, I regret to say that you are all unfortunate victims in the latest of these kidnappings. The target of this latest one was primarily Wonder Woman. The costumed people, who have been kidnapped, as I have understood it, are all being forced to do what they are doing now. Starfire, Bane, the Mad Hatter and Captain Cold all have small devices grafted to their skulls that will kill them if they do not follow orders. I have removed Bane's and Starfire's, but I need to know if Amanda Waller can vouch for Bane?" Amanda gets up as Raven mentions her name.

"You aim to tell us that he is trustworthy now and that you are? While the man with the most influence in the world, has not heard a peep from our captors? And you expect us to believe this?" She asks.

"No, I want your verification that Bane once worked for you. As to the claim of the devices, look for yourself." Raven replies while levitating Starfire off the ground, and turns her over as she floats over to Amanda. "The device is at the base of the skull." Amanda looks at Raven for a second before she feels for the device with on hand, moving the hair out of the way to have good look.

"I believe you." Amanda says shortly. "Welcome back on the squad Bane." The large man nods at her.

"I do not believe my fate should be decided by a woman!" The Quraci shouts angrily as he gets up and starts making his way to the door. "You are the cause of this!"

"Very possible." Raven says flatly. "I am not issuing orders, but I will say this; I don't know where we are, if we are above or below ground, or even on Earth anymore. But I know there is a maze of halls, corridors and levels out there, all of them with people like those guys." She says as she points at the guards. "And people like Bane who out of fear of their own lives will do whatever they are told to. The rifles are for your protection and what you do with them is not my concern." Raven replies before she walks to the door.

"Wait, you are going to leave the President and a room full of diplomats in a hostile environment?!" Amanda almost yells.

"They are going to break Diana's will, rendering her into a mindless zombie, it is my duty as an Ephor that that does not happen." Raven replies. "The League is out searching for the President and they will find you."

"It is your duty to prevent her from causing an incident and upholding he law." Amanda says flatly.

"Preventing her from killing you all while out of mind is an extension of that." Raven says coldly.

"And what of your friend?" Amanada tries as she gestures at Starfire.

"From what I hear, I have two other friends out there in the same condition as her, she won't wake up till I tell her to. And she better be safe when I get back." Raven replies before she disappears out of the door, leaving the silent group behind, Bane sits down cross-legged next to the guards.

"So how did she get you to stand still for long enough to remove the chip?" Amanda asks.

"I have four cracked ribs as proof Waller." He says quietly. "I take it these chips are your creation." Amanda looks at him in surprise. "You looked at it for two second's, one would have to know it already to know what it is or be very trusting of others." He explains without looking at her. "You are not the latter."

"Is that true Amanda?" Vincent asks.

"It is Mister President, they are an old Cadmus project that was never put into use. They were an idea of how to manage convicted superpowered fellons." She replies stiffly.

"I will need to know what other idea's Cadmus dreamt up when we get out of here." He grumbles, hidden beneath his mask, Bane smiles slightly.

"Ok, boys and girls, now that the warmup is complete, it is time for the old master!" The Joker announces as he enters the cell where Diana is being kept, getting a host of stares from those capable.

"Who let you out of your box?" Cheetah asks between cleaning her claws.

"Hey, who's the clown?" Lobo asks as he is holding a pose as he was about to land another blow to Diana.

"Not clown, Joker." The man in person says as he dances inside. "Now skedoodle, I have Lexie's orders." He smiles.

"What?! But I'm so close!" The diminutive Dr. Psycho says as color leeks into his cheeks.

"I'm sure you are only four feet short!" Joker laughs loudly at his own joke, getting a chuckle out of Lobo and a well hidden one out of Cheetah.

"Ah well, I'm out of beer anyways." Lobo shrugs before heading out, followed by Cheetah.

"Oh come on then Zatanna, I'm sure I can use you for something you wouldn't like." Psycho sighs, giving up on his attempt to get the still laughing maniac to toss his cookies. The grumbling doctor shoves his hands in his pockets and walks out, followed by the stumbling blankeyed sorceress.

"Oh, oh that was a good one!" Joker says while wiping a tear out of his eyes. "Oh where have they all gone?" He asks noticing the others have left. "Oh well, at least I still have you." He says as he turns his attention to the battered Amazon. "A true audience never leaves the performer after all."

"Not like…I have… a choice…" Diana heaves in reply.

She is pretty sure she has been awake for the last two hours, and that she has felt far better. Her right arm is broken just above the elbow, a result of Lobo's hitting, as is the cracked ribs, swollen face and broken lower left leg. Due to Cheetah's claws, her dress is in tatters, leaving much of her body exposed, including the white panties she wears in case something stupid happens while she is in a dress. Of course, much of her skin is now smeared in her own blood, as Cheetah has taken time to draw long marks over her body, including a set of deep ones that trail from Diana's right ear down her jaw. Also during the last half hour, Cheetah actually bit her in the left shoulder. Diana considers herself lucky that Zatanna is only to blame for her nerves feeling like exposed power cables, which is causing her fingers and toes to spasm slightly every once in a while. Diana knows Zatanna could do much worse if prompted to, something she worries could prove permanent. She knows Dr. Psycho hates her, he hates her a lot, and only because she is a woman, like he hates all women. A child and teenage trauma Diana once discovered is the cause of it. But his hatred of herself runs deeper than that against any other woman, because Diana is a symbol of female liberation, that women need not be limited in anything merely because of the way they are born. Dr. Psycho once explained why he hates her so, _"If I kill you or break you. I will destroy the hopes of millions of women around the globe!"_ In a way, he is Diana's physical opposite, she is tall, highly attractive and physical, he is short, ugly and relies only on his mind and the influence he can make it exert over others. It is only because of her own nature that allows her to resist his mind, she knows it is present and always active, but everyone has a hard time of lying whenever she is near, especially when addressing her. Bruce is the best at it, but she knows when he is doing it. Dr. Psycho's power is to create illusions in a mind, making one believe they are real. He once posed as a corporate CEO for over a week like this, fooling an entire office building while the real person lay rotting in a closet in his home. But Diana still gets swimming vision and headaches when he tries to use his mind on her, right now she can barely see anything clearly and her headache is the size of Georgia due to the lengthy exposure.

"Oh I guess that's true." Joker smiles at her, noticing she is hardly seeing him at all. "Aww, you look so sad, what's wrong?" He asks in a concerned voice, Diana refuses to answer. "Oh well, I know just the thing to cheer up a princess!" He says as he runs out of the room, returning shortly with a host of assorted articles he drops before her in a pile before rummaging thought them, emerging with three boxes of makeup. Opening the largest one, a green one, he pulls out a brush he dips in the contents before slapping it harshly onto Diana's face several times, leaving her coughing and pasty white. "Stage one is complete, Admiral!" Joker says with a deep voice before throwing the green box to the side and picks up a small round black one, opening it he pulls out a circular brush, dipping it again he doesn't as much apply the black make up properly as he just pushes it into Diana's eyes. Her head being one of the few things she can move, Diana tosses it from side to side to avoid the brush, resulting in a trail of grey going from side to side. "Hold still!" Joker grumbles before he places a palm on her shoulder, Diana's eyes roll into the back of her skull at the voltage sent into her, more than enough to reduce a normal man to a cooked corpse. While she is dazed, Joker applies the black, a messy round of pink lipstick that ends up drawing a smile twice as big as Diana is actually capable of. "Hmm, yes…yes… perfect!" Joker smiles happily as he looks at Diana while forming a rectangle with his fingers, tilting them and his head from side to side. "Now the princess is all happy!" He says before diving back into his pile, emerging with a hand mirror and a camera. "There, all better." He says while showing Diana her mirror image, she simply lowers her head. She has sworn and cursed the other three for well over an hour without it stopping them. Right now, the predominant emotion she feels is humiliation, she has been degraded to a plaything for a maniac, and she can't stop him. "Perhaps I should put these on the internet?" Joker asks himself as he begins taking pictures with a camera from his pile. "Better yet, perhaps I should get rid of Harley and keep you instead?" Diana retreats into herself as the maniac takes the pictures and laughs ever louder.

"Umm, boss, get out here. Now!" Foley calls, Rancid rushes out, ready for anyone causing trouble, it is the only reason anyone ever yells at him these days.

"What?!" Rancid shouts as he emerges out of his office looking for whoever needs sorting out.

"We have a host of incomings, and not all of them look friendly." Foley says as he reads a screen that is reporting from a their early warning system and another screen that has several calls listed as in coming. Rancid leans over the other man's shoulder a second before picking up a headset and takes the first call.

"Sergeant Rancid here Captain." He reports.

"_Thank god I got through, the storm is messing everything up. I know you don't watch TV, but in case you haven't heard, a three headed burning dog is headed your way!"_ The other end crackles as a bolt of lightning strikes.

"Repeat sir, I didn't get that." Rancid replies.

"_Turn on that TV in your lobby!" _The captain almost yells from the other end. As Foley is listening in, as he always does, and shouldn't do. He turns on the TV on a local news channel. Both men raise eyebrows as they see a huge dog like creature plows through the Jump City streets, with a reporter trying desperately to keep up and talk at the same time from a moving car that's definitely heading towards their bridge. _"See it?"_

"We see it; we will be ready for it." Rancid says firmly, as he prepares to hit the emergency button.

"_Answer your other calls first."_ The Captain says before the line goes dead.

"_Jump City Penetentary, this is Speacial Agent King Faraday, head of the Secret Service. I don't know if you boys have been watching the news lately, but a few hours ago, someone decided to crash the Presidents Ball, there is a very large dog that apparently thinks the gatechrashers are hiding out in your vicinity. Be on the lookout and prepare to have company!"_ The two surprised men does not have time to reply before the line goes dead, leaving one call to be answered, after a nod from Rancid, Foley opens the link.

"Sergeant Rancid receiving, identify."

"_This is Nightwing." _A voice Rancid instantly recognizes even after going four years without hearing it.

"Well hello Birdy Boy." He says in an amused tone.

"_Johnny Rancid?!"_ Nightwing almost yells into the microphone form the other end; bring a huge smile to Rancids face.

"Sergeant Johnny Rancid, thank you. What can I do for you Robin?" The line is quiet for a few seconds before a reply is received.

"_I take it you heard about an incident at the White House? Well, the majority of the Justice League, the Jump City Police force and the National Guard is heading for your prison following the dog heading right towards you. Get your men ready to have that prison turned upside down." _The line is closed before Rancid can reply.

"Sir?" Foley asks after a few seconds.

"Get everyone ready, we are going to have company!" Rancid yells as he disappears into his office again to get his gun and jacket.

Raven is sure she has remained undetected as she has been moving along the shadows, there haven't been any additional alarms that have been sounded since she left the diplomats. Before taking out the guards at their cell, she had even taken time to ensure that every radio was turned off and that the sound of the gunfire didn't reach far before she struck. With her League communicator taken from her, she has supplied herself with one of the closed circuit radios carried by the guards, hoping to pick up useful information along the way, but it's been silent ever since she picked it up, making her wonder if it was only tuned into that group.

So far she has yet to see any indication of a way leading to the floors below her, but she found out the floor was enchanted the same way her cell was, which makes her unable to just pass through it making her realize someone had prepared this place extensively. Still she moves quickly as she has melted into the shadows while keeping her senses open for anything on this level, having picked up a few far away guards, or at least she hopes they are guards. As he passes a corridor, she hears a familiar voice.

"Rotten crud-chip, can't see a thing back there!" It can only be Gizmo, Raven smirks before remembering, leaving even one super powered or exceptionally gifted person behind on this floor, could prove deadly for the politicians even when it is 'just' Gizmo. Grumbling to herself, she moves down the corridor before another voice is heard and she catches the flare of emotion from the owner.

"Just quit picking at it, you risk getting us both fried." It's a woman, Raven hopes she is lucky enough to have found the other metahuman Bane mentioned; Killer Frost.

"Ahh, pipe down." Gizmo grumbles.

Moving along the shadows that are cast on the ceiling by the numerous pipes running along it, Raven enters the room, spotting Gizmo sitting in his green jump suit and goggles on one of numerous tables in the dimly lit room, while trying to navigate two mirrors so he can see the implant sitting on the back of his bald head. Next to him stands a short blue haired female with ice white skin, wearing a skin tight pair of gloves that reach up to her upper arms and a suit that covers everything from her upper chest and downwards, both pieces of clothing is the same shade of dark blue as her hair. Raven notes as she moves over her that the temperature drops noticeably and that the woman's breath is not steaming but frosting.

"_Gizmo, Killer Frost. Go find Bane and the others."_ Lex's voice sounds through a speaker in the corner of the room.

"Why should we?" The woman asks in an annoyed tone.

"_Oh for a number of reasons, one is that they have failed to report back after being assigned the relatively simple task of retrieving the Amazon now running loose on your level. The second reason; I can't get in contact with the team assigned to guard the other prisoners. But the only one you need to know is this one."_ Lex replies in a warning tone before both chips on the villains begin powering up.

"Wait, wait, ok. We are going!" Killer Frost says with a hint of panic entering her voice.

"_Good girl."_ Lex replies in an arrogant tone.

"Kiss my frosty butt." Frost grumbles to herself.

"_What was that?!"_

"Nothing."

"_That's what I thought, now get going." _An audible click announces Lex's termination of the transmission.

"Well let's get going Pipsqueak." Frost sighs before turning around for the door.

"Crud-sniffing popcicle." Gizmo grumbles as he makes to jump off the table, Raven chooses this moment to strike as two thick coils of black quickly unwinds from the ceiling wrapping themselves around both villains and lifts them into the air. "WAAHH!" Gizmo cries as he is hoisted into the air.

"What…is this?!" Frost complains as she can feel her throat getting constricted. "Get off!" She growls as she uses one hand to spray the tentacle with ice.

"Wait, watch out!" Gizmo cries in alarm as Frost is tossed about along with her aim, leaving much of the room covered in ice, one blast in particular leaves a trail of ice on Gizmo's head as it just misses him. "Hey! Up there! The ceiling!" He yells as he spots something between the pipes.

"Eat this!" Frost growls as she throws everything she can at the ceiling, Raven is forced to drop the two and comes tumbling out between the pipes to avoid getting frozen solid. The three crash to the ground, with Raven ending up on her stomach between the two villains. Gizmo is the first on his feet and takes cover behind the table he was sitting on, which has been overturned.

"Lex! Lex! We got loose Titan up here!" The diminutive man yells into a communicator on his wrist. From behind the table he can hear struggling

"_That's Luthor to you!" _Lex replies in a displeased voice. _"And I know, I sent Strafire up there with you."_ A chair lands just next to Gizmo.

"CRUD! It's not her!" Gizmo crawls further into the room, settling down under another table.

"_I have accounted for every female Titan that was ever a part of them, and the only one who could prove a statistical threat to Frost, is Starfire."_ From the other side of the table, Gizmo hears something break with a loud snap, followed by a shriek. _"That should be the end of that, put her in a cell for the time being and we will get Psyco to look at her again." _Luthor continues.

"You bitch! You broke my arm!" Gizmo hears Killer Frost cry, before she hisses and takes a heavy step forwards, the only reply he hears is a slap or a punch and the tell tale sound of someone landing on the ground,.

"_Gizmo what is happening?!"_ Luthor demands obviously also having heard it. _"Gizmo?!"_ Gizmo isn't listening as he is crawling further and further into the room, crawling under several more tables. Realizing too late he has worked himself into a corner, turning around he freezes as the tables he has passed under, begins being shoved violently to the sides, leaving a clear path between him and the tall figure walking towards him with four red glowing eyes. _"Gizmo answers me!" _Luthor demands as Gizmo wets himself as the figure reaches for him.

"What's with the yelling Lex?" Tala asks as she emerges into the control room, seeing the annoyed expression on Luthor's face.

"WAHHHHH…!" The high pitched scream emerging from the speakers are cut off by Luthor with the flip of a switch.

"Get back to work Tala!" He shots as he turns to her. "Or you will share the prison blocks fate when I'm done!" he says as he pushes a few buttons on a console, a few of the lights on the board with the names go out, signaling the demise of Captain Cold, Bane, Starfire, Gizmo and Killer Frost. "Get going!" He says with clenched teeth, Tala flees at the response.

Lex stares after her for a few seconds before he types in several commands into the computer, alerting all levels to be ready, and he sends his special corps to retake the prison level. He sighs, he knew the League would eventually find him and he has prepared their arrival, but it aggravates him nonetheless that he has apparently lost an entire level to two people it seems.

And this happens now, when he is so close to reaching his goal. Months ago he found himself back on Earth, but on a different continent than the one he knew he was on when he disappeared with Darkseid. He has very little memory of the time he was away; it all seemed to be light broken up by occasional splashes of black. When he returned, he had to pick up a newspaper to realize that he had been gone for 2 full years. Darkseid was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the anti-life equation and no memory of what it was. Lex had not been lying when he formed an alliance with the League, his goals were still the same, he has tasted omnipotence from his merger with Brainiac and he wants that power again. But he realized that the Brainiac he wanted had been lost with Darkseid and as much as Lex wants to fuse with Brainiac again, he is not willing to seek out Darkseid for it, not without being properly prepared for it. At first he sought to reclaim his company from his former assistant and bodyguard; Mercy Graves. When that was in order, he began seeking out tomes of knowledge, knowing if Darkseid exists as a New God, then the old ones must as well. Seeking ways of usurping the power of gods, he came across mentions of another entity, one who was suspected to dwarf the power of gods. And soon, he smiles to himself at this thought, that power will be his.

"Oh I remember that one; it was so funny at the time." The Joker laughs as he holds onto Diana's battered form with one arm around her neck.

This has been going on for an hour now, after the makeup was applied and pictures taken, the Joker has alternated between adding more injuries to her and cracking jokes, most of which involve females in some way. After hiding inside herself, while he took pictures, she found a measure of strength, that the League would arrive at some point and she would be released. Holding onto that thought for herself, she wonders if she alone here or if anyone else was taken. She figures she is not alone, why only take her and not the President? Her thoughts turn to Raven and she hopes she is ok and that she doesn't not suffer a fallback by being captured again. Returning to the real world, she is caught between horrid jokes, an old fashioned razor and the high voltage buzzer. Also he add's something he calls 'spice' to her open wounds, it makes her nauseous and futher saps her strength, she still can't see anything properly.

"What's the matter? Aren't you enjoying yourself?" Joker asks with mocked concern, like he has before either cutting her or shocking her. "Is Uncle Joker not funny anymore?" He continues. "Oh I know what you need." He says with a wicked smile. "This bit will be sure to loosen you up, wait right there." He says as if afraid she would leave.

Diana sighs as she hears the door closing behind him, thinking about what the clown now has in store for her. She is alone for a few moments and takes time to notice her state of undress and the many wounds that has been inflicted on her. Joker got annoyed by the remains of the dress she wore and removed the part, leaving her with a strip to cover her chest and no other clothing than her underwear.

"Now, now, my good doctor, I have a patient in here in dire need of your help." Joker is heard exclaiming before he enters the room again with someone standing outside.

"I told you Joker, I am a doctor of physics not a doctor of psychiatry or medicine." A deep and sour voice is heard, one Diana remembers from somewhere, with her eyes still blurry the Joker in the doorway looks only like a purple spec surrounded by black.

"Oh you can surely help this one." Joker says before reaching forwards and drags the other man with him.

"Hey…" The other man's protest dies on his lips as he enters. "Is that…?"

"Indeed my good man, now I am sure one of your capabilities is able to make her feel…better." The last part is spoken with a very low and dangerous voice.

"Oh I will do my best." The other man replies with sudden excitement, Diana doesn't like it, something in her head is screaming at her to realize something, but it just won't form for her.

"Good." Joker exclaims happily while slapping the other man on the shoulder. "I am going to watch cartoons, consider my toys yours." He continues before strolling out of the door and shuts it after him, leaving the man and Diana alone in the room. The man walks over to study Diana up close; she notices a white Mohawk on a black hat, white cape and a yellow circle on his chest. Diana knows she has met him before, but can't place a name or a face.

"Well this is a surprise." He says to himself. "Tell me Wonder Woman, have you seen the Light?" He asks, Diana recoils as she realizes who the man is; Dr. Light.


	26. Monsters Ball pt 3: One by One

Raven realizes she may have to face more than the possibility of a murder charge as she leaves the room. She had a few questions she should have asked Bane; were there any more armed guards on this level, and where were the exits to the other levels? To get that information, she had to break Gizmo's right leg and Frosts left knee. She tells herself that she warned them of the consequences of lying to her now. Unfortunately for Gizmo, who was still shaking in fear when she asked after they had gotten over the shock of their chips being disabled, Frost spoke up first, in defiance, telling Raven she was not going to sing before casting a stare at Gizmo, telling him to keep shut. Raven had asked him anyways, getting a hesitant shake of his head for it, she hit him first. They were suddenly a lot more talkative after that. Raven had left them both unconscious and wrapped up in the ceiling pipes before levitating herself off the ground and flying down the corridors, throwing caution to the wind now that Lex knows that she is still free. She is coming up on the elevator Gimzo said was down here at the end of the corridor that ends in a lobby, she notices two things, one that Gizmo was right and second; there's a woman in her way.

"Ohhhh, come-on Lex, open the door!" Harley complains as she pulls on the elevator door, Raven guesses that at least this floor has been locked down to prevent her from gaining access to the lower floors. In the brushed metal doors, Harley spots someone behind her and turns around quickly and pulls out an over-sized hand gun. "Hold it right there! I gotcha covered see!" She says as she adopts a sort of Chicago-gangster accent.

"You really think a toy gun will help you?" Raven asks unbothered as she moves forwards, she had seen this kind of gun before, in Beastboy's hands.

"Maybe it will." Harley smirks as she pulls the trigger, getting a pop and a flag saying _BANG!_ sticking out of the barrel. "Eh heh, good one Mista J." Harley sighs in a defeated manner as Raven comes closer, before she remembers of something and raising the gun again and pulls the trigger.

"I thought…" Raven manages before she registers what really happened, the gun had fired the flag as a missile, lodging the point in her left shoulder. She stops to look at it in suprise while Harley looks displeased with her shot. "I thought something like this was supposed to hurt more?" Raven says to herself before pulling the flag out with a hiss.

"Oh crap." Harley sighs while still clutching the gun with both hands as she realizes that she has not even slowed the other woman down. As if being caught unaware, Raven stares at her again before her eyes pulse, making the gun handle explode between Harleys palms. Getting a high-pitched scream out of Harley, who crumbles onto the ground, in a trembling, weeping mass.

Without caring for the woman, Raven walks over to study the elevator doors, finding them similarly enchanted like the floor and ceiling, but not very thick.

"Heh, can't get through, can ya?" Harley asks between sobs. Raven doesn't look at her as she draws a line with her left index finger, following the line that parts the two halves of the sliding door. Leaning back slowly, Raven punches one of the doors with enough force to bend the metal out of shape, leaving a hole big enough for her to get a hand through. Grabbing hold of the door, she strains as she pulls to the sound of screeching metal before a bolt on the inside can be heard breaking, resulting in the door being pulled free and tossed across the room before Raven jumps down the elevator shaft without a second thought. "Huh." Harley sighs.

_Jump City Penitentiary:_

"_Umm, boss, we have a very large dog thing on the causeway heading in our direction." _A guard sends.

"Open the gates and let it in." Rancid sends back. "Don't argue."

The penitentiary is built very much like a modern Alcatraz, situated further up the river than the old Titans Tower; its gray walls can only be accessed by a causeway with a drawbridge. It is a credit to the guard that he doesn't argue, as Rancid and the assembled guard watch the red warning lights blink as the main gate rolls to the side, revealing Cerberus leaping over the half lowered drawbridge and run towards them, getting a few guards to shuffle uneasilly. "Easy men, I got it on good word that it's friendly." Rancid says calmly as the dog slows down and sniffs the ground outside the gate before following it inside. The group is too focused on the dog in their courtyard to notice the initial approach of others.

"Sergeant Rancid?" Superman asks as he lands in front of the group of 20 armed men.

"Superman." Rancid replies stiffly as he salutes the man, the men behind him know he only does this when he has to. "Welcome to Jump City Penitentiary, what is this about?"

"About six hours ago, someone attacked the President Ball, kidnapping some 60 diplomats, which includes the President." Superman replies before the whining sound of a jet plane passing overhead is heard, in the night sky it is hard to see two figures leaping out of the plane as it slows over the yard. In the distance, several more blinking lights indicate more planes are incoming. The two figures land deftly on the ground despite the drop, revealing them to be Batman and Nightwing.

"See anything Superman?" Batman asks as he walks over.

"There is definitely something far below the ground, but it's hard to see what exactly." Superman confirms as Rancid raises an eyebrow.

"Anything you happen to know about?" Nightwing asks in a voice thinly masked with hostility, Rancid quickly does the math's for this one.

"No, this facility has a basement and a subbasement, anything beyond that is nothing I would know of." He replies stiffly, feeling uncomfortable with all the capes around him. "Would any of you mind telling the dog not to dig up my yard?" He asks, noticing Cerberus has begun digging into the ground, tearing through the layer of concrete that covered it.

"He can sense her." Superman nods as Batman looks at him.

"That dog has the scent of one of the people that was taken from the White House; unless you know a way to get down there faster the dog keeps digging." Nightwing says.

"Foley, can you patch me through to that Agent Faraway?" Rancid asks into his communicator.

"_Faraday yes. Just give me two seconds."_

"_Faraday here."_ The voice of the agent returns with some static in the background.

"Sir, requesting verification to let a three headed dog dig up the Jump City Penitentiary yard on suspicion of the hostages being below the prison."

"_Give it some help Sergeant, me and my boys and the remainder of the League will be there shortly, Faraday out."_

"Ok men let's get some shovels and help that thing!" Rancid yells and begins to walk away to find some before being halted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me help with that part." Superman says with a smirk as he begins spinning like a top, flying over to where he can see the structures, he begins digging into the ground head first.

"Mr. Terrific, any news on the teleporters?" Batman asks into his communicator.

"_A week at best according to our engineers, that last round burnt out several key parts."_ Batman sighs.

"They are becoming a liability."

Superman returns shortly after he digs into the ground looking slightly ill. "Someone has laced the ground with kryptonite 20 meters above the first structure." He says, Batman sighs again softly.

Cyborg's P.O.V.

This is a nightmare. I'm trapped in my own body that is following someone else's orders. All I can do is watch, as my vocal cords are part of the machine and they have been turned off. I am not exactly sure when or where I am as someone took the liberty of scrambling my internal clock and my GPS is offline. I remember that Beastboy, Starfire and I were attacked by Slade, some woman dressed as a red and yellow samurai and Bushido. We were taken by complete surprise as we were having waffles, when they suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Beastboy was out before he knew what hit him, Starfire was still in no condition to fight and was forced into a corner by the woman and Bushido before one of them threw something at her that knocked her out, leaving me with Slade. I expected him to begin calmly begin explaining in mocking detail how he planned to be incarcerated in Arkham for over two months before busting out and what he wanted, probably another shot at Rob or Rae. I was put off when he said nothing before kicking me in the chest, sending me crashing into the stove, before I had a chance to get up, he threw something at me and I blacked out, waking up in this place.

No one ever talks to me, but I can see directives being received and acted upon as they flash over my bionic eye, I have guard duty, meaning I walk around these corridors. There are other people here, other superheroes and villains, all of the ones I'd want to talk to are acting like zombies as they move around, all of the ones I don't all act like someone is watching them while they pick at a small round device on the back of their necks. I hope that BB and Star aren't sporting one of those and were left in the castle.

My system recieves a command to head to access G-5, it's an elevator shaft if I remember correctly, and to halt any intruders coming my way. My body obeys and runs down the corridors, as I turn a corner, I find myself in the midst of a large group of women all wearing stockings and black chauffeur uniform, it strikes me that they are all alike. It's not a little alike; it's completely alike, like 20 identical twins. I don't know who or what they are, but they apparently are going with me and part of some kind of higher security measure. I guess we are under attack, God I hope this is over soon.

3rd person

Raven can hear them coming before she stops her decent at the bottom of the shaft, some 10 meters below the level she jumped from, landing on the roof of the elevator, but she can't sense most of them which is odd, only an odd mix of fear and anxiety from one clear source. Closing her eyes, she tries pushing her soul past the wall for a peek at what awaits her on the other side, but the wards are strong and she is defied.

"_For all I know there could be 20 guards with automatic weapons waiting for me."_ She thinks about her options. _"Dropping down in the elevator will be suicide if they have anything ranged. I can't sneak past them because of the walls. I can't go back because I risk them getting to Diana, I can't afford the loss in time!"_ She knows what she has to do, to have a chance against the enemies she knows are out there. Breathing deeply and purging her mind of anything distracting, she chants softly and focuses on the things she wants to come to her after she finds a tiny hole far above her, in the barriers otherwise blocking her.

Due to the proximity of the wards on the walls around her, it is more difficult than it should be, but she manages. The armor feels warm as it appears around her, a not unwelcome feeling as it reminds her of Themyscira. A nudge in her head makes her fear and hopes, that with her armor's disappearance Io will inform Hippolyta and then the Queen will act on the knowledge that it had been needed. Raven wouldn't mind a platoon of Amazons right now, but she will have to make do without them. Opening her eyes she knows her armor is on her and the sword is on her back, figuring she will need all the protection she can get, she changes shape.

Facing the opposing wall, she works up a quick strategy, if they are armed for range she has to bust through the wall and be amongst them as fast as possible. Leaning back into a stance with her fist drawn back, she finds her center and focus' before utilizing the technique the True Master taught her. As she strikes the concrete wall crumbles, causing a large section of it to explode out into the room on the other side, followed by herself only a second afterwards.

Cyborg's P.O.V.

I see the wall over the elevator door being blasted into our faces and me and the armed group of women are treated to the dust the concrete sends our way. As my bionic eye instantly switches to the thermal camera, I see one figure leap into the room after the wall, I manage to shoot at it once before it moves again, but my shot goes wide. Some of the women manage a few shots, but I can both see and hear they have no effect on the target as plinks can be heard from the ricochets. I fold out my other cannons and begin cycle off shots at the target that keeps leaping aside, way too fast for my automated CPU to get a lock on, I stop when it come close to the others. Through the dust I see something black move in a blur as one of the women is suddenly sent flying past me followed by another one shortly after. I hear something metallic break followed by a snarl before I am forced to move in. Picking my way through the dust I catch sight of something with its back to me as it is keeping two of the others at bay. As I raise my cannon, one of them tries with a high kick that is caught in one hand while the figure side steps out of the way of a punch from the other. I get a little worried as the figure uses the woman it has in its hand as a one handed club against the other, swatting both to the ground to the sound of at least one broken ankle. I fire my sonic cannon, striking the figure in the back, sending it off balance. It narrowly avoids first colliding with the wall in front of it and a flying kick from one of the others, dodging under the attack, it rolls after the woman and disappears from my human eye and then suddenly from my bionic one as well. I stand still as my head turns from side to side to find the target. I'm glad my CPU is only half of me as a part of me is screaming at it to look up; I've watched too many horror movies and right now I am in one. I feel a sudden impact in my back as the ground and my gyroscope tells me I am falling face forwards.

"I'm sorry Victor." My one eye goes wide to see if I was just hearing stuff, but is it really Raven that's hit us? "But I can't stop you otherwise." I want to shout at her not to hesitate and not feel sorry for it, but a part of me still cringes as Raven first grabs my right arm before punching it, aided by her powers and severs it. My CPU goes haywire at the damage, good, that's pain to it and it is doubled when Rae pulls the other arm off. She isn't done, I know, as two fists are punched into my back, disabling my back cannons. Under normal terms, I'd call this catastrophic damage, right now I am relieved as my CPU goes into power saving mode and shuts down all non essential functions. Leaving me to watch as Raven turns me over, I can't see it because of the helmet, but I know she feels the pain she knows she has done to me, I wish I could do anything at all to tell her she did the right thing. Then I remember, I can still do something, feel happy and I do while I smile at her. She nods at me once before patting my chest and disappears out of my sight. My human ear can hear more fighting, more cracks of bones and more grunts. I suddenly see the world move, before figure someone is getting me back up.

"Halt!" A voice to my left calls, as my legs are forced to bend leaving me sitting on my knees front of someone. "Or the robot dies!" It takes a second and the bush of something cold on the human side of my head, before I realize they mean me. In front of me I can see Raven slowly moving into view.

"I've halted." Raven confirms as she stops a few feet in front of me. "What do you three clones want?" She asks, I take it she is warning me about the ones behind me. Wait, did she say clones? Of course its clones! How else do you find 20 identical twins when you are not Billy Numerous?

"Your unconditional surrender." I see Raven slowly reach for her sword that has so far been slung over her back.

"You aren't really people, are you?" She asks. "You weren't born, you were grown and programmed in a lab. You have no will, no anger and no fear, no emotions at all. The question is, where is your model, where is the real Mercy Graves?" She continues while taking a step forwards. "I hope you can forgive me for doing this Vic." She says to me before, she draws her blade, disappearing while doing it. I don't actually register the roar behind me before something bumps against my shoulder and rolls in front of me, a severed head of a brown haired woman. Raven is quick to move me out of the way as the owner topples forwards into me, moving me to sit next to the elevator door. I see her face as she changes back to her human self, she looks worried. "I'm sorry I had to do that Victor, but they had three guns to your head." She says. "I need to find out how they are controlling you, can I talk to your mind?" She asks. "Wiggle your nose if I may." I do and she closes her eyes.

"_Rae? Can you hear me?" _I ask.

"_I can. Look, we have to be quick before the chip or a program is activated and you are terminated, I will merge my soul with your mechanical half, but you have to tell me what is not supposed to be there."_

"_Ok, do it." _I reply resolutely, almost immediately a black shape rises off Raven and flies into me, I feel oddly cold but comforted as my mechanical half comes back online. _"Run diagnostics, compare result with diagnostic 77963541." _I say as Raven starts up the program. _"What's this like?_" I ask, curious to know how she is doing it.

"_Like solving a Rubrics cube with your elbows."_ She replies in a stern tone, I shut up, knowing that voice meant she is concentrating. The diagnostics results come up shortly and I begin reviewing the result.

"_There are a number of files in my command program that shouldn't be there."_ I say.

"_I see them, what do I do about them?" _Raven replies as I highlight the ones I am talking about._  
_

"_Delete them, all of them."_

"_Ok."_ One by one I see the files disappear from my system, granting me back my body as a signal program is removed. _"That all of them?"_

"_Yes, I should be fine now."_

"Ok, pulling out." She says as her soul returns to her body.

"Thanks Rae, you have no idea what it's like to be like that." I sigh with my own voice as I disable the emergency shutdown.

"How did you end up here? I had to take Starfire down up stairs and she was completely gone."

"What?! Oh no." I sigh. "It means they still have Beastboy somewhere in here. We had taken Star down to Gar's place to help her recovery as she wasn't getting any sun on the station. Slade, Bushido and some samurai woman attacked us there; next thing I knew, I woke up here." I explain. "You?"

"I got hit at the Ball, they have Diana near the bottom of this place I am going to find her before they break her." She says as she studies the elevator. "It is still functional; the other hostages from the Ball are in a big room at the other end of the left corridor up there, think you can make it?"

"I will, but, can you get my arms?" I ask as I am helped to my feet.

"I'll keep them safe for now." She replies while guiding me into the elevator. "If she is still up there, you can kick Harley Quinn along, should be clear otherwise." She says as she steps back out and prepares to activate the elevator.

"Wait, how are you going to deal with…that?" I ask nodding in the direction of the three corpses.

"I will answer to it if we make it out of here." She says, looking a little downhearted. "Victor, I have to tell you this. I knew about the chips and what they do because I made a mistake, the Mad Hatter is dead because of it." I look at her in shock before I force myself to say something.

"Did you activate it?" I ask.

"No, but I fear that I caused it indirectly." She says.

"If these things are activated from afar, I blame the guy who pushed the button, not you. Now you go get BB and Wondy back in one piece , and you give whoever stands in your way an ass whopping from me." I say sternly while staring at her, she smiles slightly at me.

"I will Vic, now go." She says as she pushes the button with her powers, shutting me off from her.

"It seems I have underestimated her." Lex sighs as he watches the surveillance camera in the lobby; he sees broken concrete and bodies. He is certain that most of them won't be of any use at all to him besides fertilizer for his small collection of bonsai trees. "Or I may have overestimated your proficiency." He says to someone behind him as he walks down memory lane again. "I found you in the streets, took you in, fed you, clothed you, educated you, trained you and you had to go and desert me just because I went to jail. And then you took command of my company and turned it into an abomination. But despite all of that, I have forgiven you, now that you are back where you belong, my dear, in my service." Lex says as he walks over to look at something on a shelf. "But I do miss having you following me around like the dog you are." He smiles before turning away.

She can't hear him, but she can see him, she can see what he is doing, what he has done. To the company, to her, with her. From her position here, she has seen him make the first raw copies before perfecting them, making over 30 of them. She wants to die so badly, just to make this whole sick nightmare go away. She is nothing but a trophy now, something Lex can turn to and gloat at. From her position in her jar, the floating spine, eyes and brain of Mercy Graves is kept alive, just for Lex Luthor to have something to laugh at.

"I haven't seen you since that time you tried to ruining that Motörhead concert." Raven says as she dodges out of the way of another sonic attack from Punk Rockets guitar.

"Oi, I was enjoying that concert!" The pasty skinned man with white spiky hair complains. "I was just playing along!"

"Sure you were and you just happened to point your guitar at the band and everyone between you and them?"

"They are used to it, besides you happened to show up and throw me off that tower." He replies as he dodges out of the way of some debris thrown at him.

"I read they weren't all that happy to have their vintage amplifiers blow up." Raven replies. "And the fans weren't too happy either to have the concert spoiled." She continues as she comes within striking distance of him and arrests his right hand before separating him from his guitar, leaving him on the ground but not out.

"They were soddy anyways. Wait noo…!" A chunk announces the departure of Punk Rocket from the land of the conscious as Raven brings down the butt of the guitar onto his head.

"And I was trying to enjoy that concert too." She sighs as she lets her powers break the guitar into several bits before tying Rocket up with the strings. That night Raven had tried pretending to just be a normal person for once and tried attending the concert after the radio had been going into a near hype about it because it was an anniversary. Normally she would have ignored it but the hype resulted in a few of the pieces being played, and it had caught her interest enough to try it. Even if it took her a week to decide to go.

Leaving the unconscious man in the room he had drawn her into, she resumes her flight to the other end of the level. She only passes three corridors before she has to stop again, this time because three sets of arrows suddenly appear lodged in the wall in front of her.

"End of the line kiddo!" A black clad archer with a very stiff goatee yells as he readies another shot. Beside him is the green and red dressed forms of Green Arrow and Speedy, each sporting the same vacant stare Starfire had, both also pointing their weapons at her. Without further warning, they all release their arrows; it is like someone else is guiding her as she brings up her arms at blurring speeds and deflects the three missiles using the area where her bracelets are. "Crap! Keep shooting you two!" The black archer yells as he draws again, Raven doesn't have time to think as she runs towards them to get in range of the chips. Again three arrows race to greet her, two are again deflected in the same way, but one finds its way into her shoulder as its point slips between the armor plates, hitting the same spot Harley hit. Raven grunts in pain but keeps moving, getting in range she quickly focuses on the chips and brings down the three archers. She reaches the black clad man first and swiftly punches him once in the head, rendering him unconscious. She leaves the other two after breaking all bows and arrows, at least they wouldn't be a threat now. Walking back down the corridor she pulls the arrow free and heals up the damage done to her shoulder, still feeling very sore when she is done. She knows she will have to hurry, every second wasted is a second granted for Diana's captors to crack her, if they haven't already. The thought makes her mind up; she will have no more time to spare for anyone besides shorting out their chips.

"Where is Geo-Force?!" Batman asks into his communicator, the excavation is taking far too long for his liking.

"_Still unaccounted for."_ Mr. Terrific replies. _"Haven't heard or seen him since Markovia closed its borders."_ Batman sighs at this, having a ruling monarch like Brion on a team where he is not in charge is close to a liability as Geo-Force tends to question any command decision not made by him. Something Batman and Diana has butted heads with him quite often over.

"This is taking too long." He says to himself, while Cerberus is digging with the added help of prison guards and national guardsmen and Green Lantern, digging 50 meters into the ground is taking a while. When J'onn arrived, Bruce had sent him to find out anything he could about the structures beneath them.

"_You will need to be careful at 30 meters depth, besides the kryptonite, the Earth down here is laced with explosives." _ J'onn sends telepathically.

"Understood, we will pull out and leave it to John and Cerberus in time." Batman replies. "Can you get inside?"

"_No, they are warded against my entry. I will follow the walls in hopes of finding the surface access or a weakness." _

"Good, call when you have something." Batman replies, knowing J'onn is blind down there since he can't see through the dirt and Clark is still getting over his kryptonite exposure.

"So what do you go by these days?" Rancid asks as he approaches Nightwing who is leaning against a wall with his arms folded across his chest because he has nothing to do.

"Nightwing." Rancid gives an amused grunt at the reply. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking I couldn't call you 'Bird Boy' anymore."

"I seem to remembering you calling me a lot of things besides that." Nightwing says as he begins looking at the sky.

"That I did." Rancid confirms. "You guys find Raven?" Nightwing looks at him for a second before replying.

"We did, that is her dog." He says while thumbing at Cerberus.

"I guess she picked that one up while away?" Rancid asks before realizing it was unintentional to say it. "So ya know why here?"

"Someone has been kidnapping heroes and bad guys over the last few months; we have two accounts on heroes attacking other heroes and civilians." Nightwing replies, keeping his own suspicion of Rancid hidden. "Would you happen to be missing anyone here?"

"Several actually." Rancid sighs. "Punk Rocket, Mumbo, Kitten and her Dad, Katarou and Adonis have all disappeared without a trace in the last months. Light and the others busted out under their own power months ago."

"I think I know where they are." Nightwing replies and Rancid nods. "What can you tell me about the disappearances?"

"Only that it happened when they were in solitary and under heavy watch, we have watched the video tapes a dozen times but it's like they just disappear into thin air. One second they are there, the next, they are gone."

"Mind if I see them?" Nightwing asks.

"I'd be happy to if you can get them back into their holes." Rancid says before leading Nightwing away.

* * *

Merry Christmas everyone.


	27. Monsters Ball pt 4: Breaking the Wonder

"Where is the exit?!" Raven asks as she slams Adonis into the corridor wall. He had greeted her there dressed in his usual armor and with his usual bravado, both evaporated along with each other, leaving the skinny man before Raven who is in no mood for further interruptions.

"I…I…Don't…ARG!" He screams and Raven instantly punches his hand into the wall behind him, breaking most of his bones.

"Where?!" Raven growls at the crying man.

"Corridor to the left!" He sobs, before Raven blows his chip before discarding him without a second thought and flies down in the given direction. Soon she comes upon another elevator door that like the other is closed down and like the other it is treated the same way. This time there is no one waiting for her in the lobby below so she kicks her way thought a vent shaft in the elevator before jumping through, looking out from the elevator, she sees a strange area greet her.

Just beyond the elevator floor, green grass stretches out before her as does a dense jungle, above her several lamps are imitating the sun. Raven flies over the tree tops spotting several clearings in the jungle; the farthest one seems to be a small pond, while the rest are small clearings with grass in them.

Raven is about to ignore everything down there and head for the door behind the pond, when she sees something in one of the clearings. It is a young woman, about Ravens age, riding a pony that she is continuously whipping with a riding crop while yelling occasionally at it to go faster or slower. Raven wouldn't have given the scene a second glaze as she has next to no experience of horse riding, but she can spot Beastboy anywhere when he is an animal that is not usually green. Sighing Raven heads in the direction, telling herself this is hopefully the last detour.

"Slower! God, how will we ever win a competition when you can't even follow simple orders?!" The blond female complains from her seat on the green pony.

"Get off him!" Raven warns as she lands in front of the two.

"No! He's mine!" Kitten pouts as she crosses her arms defiantly, obviously not recognizing Raven.

"Have it your way then." Raven sighs. Kitten glares at her before her eyes relax as she begins seeing something else. Her eyes go from relaxed to panicked as she see something.

"NOO…! GET AWAY! DAADDYY!" She screams as she tumbles off the horse as their chips blow. A sudden rustling of nearby leaves announce Killer Moth's entrance. The bug villain looks first at his squirming daughter on the ground and then at Raven.

"Hey what did you do to her?!"

"She thinks a demon is about to take her eyes." Raven replies calmly as she turns to face him.

"Oh crap." Killer Moth says as he recognizes the face in the armor and pulls out a whistle he blows. In the distance several large moths rise into the air and flies towards them. "Get her away from Kitten!"

"I'm sorry if you can see this BB." Raven whispers to the still pony shaped Beastboy. She quickly uses her powers and flings Kitten at her father, catching him across the chest; he is slammed into a tree behind, slumping down with Kitten in his lap. Raven focuses on several of the slim young trees making up the surrounding the forest and uproots them before tearing off their branches and launching them at the three moths, each makeshift spear strikes their targets squarely in the forehead, killing the beasts instantly. Their large forms crash into the jungle, with the lead beast landing on the far side of the clearing, Raven feels somewhat relieved that the things disintegrate almost instantly into pink slime, revealing a small cream colored larvae rolling around in the mess bubbling happily.

Looking at Beastboy, Raven decides on one last detour and lifts him into the air with her powers and carries him to the elevator that is large enough to fit him, Raven guesses there are larger people than him who has to use it. After sending the pony up to the cleared level above, she races back over the canopy, passing over the pond clearing, she catches sight of two figures, one large floating on his back in the water and one leaning against a tree and enjoying the fake sunlight.

"Ivy we got company!" The large one yells as he spots the dark figure above them, Raven sighs as the exit is overgrown with vines in a matter of seconds, now she is going to have to deal with them. With the large one still in the pond Raven drops down from above, landing with both feet on his head, forcing them both under the water. The pair emerge again shortly as Raven has changed shape and is now attached to the back of Killer Croc with her legs digging into his sides while her hands are keeping his mouth wide open and his head back. With his large arms somewhat restricted in their movements by Ravens body on his back, getting hold of her is next to impossible for him, instead he lets himself fall backwards into the water.

"Lex we have a problem down here." Ivy talks into the communicator in her ear.

"_Hold her off, that's an order!"_ The man barks angrily before shutting down the line.

"Idiot." Ivy sighs as the water before her explodes as the very large shape of Croc is flying out of the pool and through several trees before he bounces off the wall. "My Babies!" Ivy cries at the sight of the broken trees as Croc lies still.

"Those will only be the first if you don't clear the doorway." A voice behind Ivy says as someone hits her in the back, knocking her onto the ground. Turning around she sees a dark armored warrior with four red eyes covered in flames. "So what's it going to be?" It asks as it points the sword at Ivy.

"You hurt them!" Ivy yells as several vines race out of the water and the ground to grab Raven, "NAAAARRRG!" Ivy screams as her right leg is punctured by the sword before Raven has to form a shield around herself for the vines to slam against.

"I know you are being forced to this." Raven says as he turns her attention back to Ivy. "Let me pass and I will remove the chip on your neck and leave you and this place untouched. Decide quickly before you join Mad Hatter as a corpse."

Ivy glares at her statement through clenched teeth. "Ok." She sighs and the vines retreat and the door clears.

"Thank you." Raven replies before the chip in Ivy and Croc blows, knocking Ivy out.

"Seems to be the place." Cyborg notes at the battered hallway he has arrived at, spotting several automated rifles lying broken on the ground.

"I could have told you that." Harley complains.

"Well you didn't, now get inside or you get another round of boot." Cyborg warns, having already kicked the woman several times when she got unmanageable. Most of the attempts have missed, but since she is without the use of her hands, several others have left marks on her rump area.

"Sheesh, I'm going, I'm going!" Harley sticks her tongue out at him before using her elbow to press the button that opens the door. "EEP!" She says as several rifles are pointed at her.

"Miss Quinn, so good you could join us." A heavy voice says with a Spanish accent.

"Get down on the ground Harley." Another voice says this one a female at this Cyborg walks in through the doorway, spotting Bane, three armed men and one woman and a lot of well-dressed people looking scared or worried sitting on the ground behind the armed line between the door and them.

"Whoa, don't shoot, we are armless…mostly." He says and waves his stumps.

"Cyborg, I do assume you know who she is?" Waller asks without lowering her weapon.

"Joker's girl. I know, look at her hands." Harley holds up her hands at the suggestion. Amanda nods after a few seconds motioning for Harley to go sit next to the still out cold guards.

"So what happened to you?" She asks as Cyborg spots Starfire as the guns are lowered.

"Got jumped in the Doom Patrol's castle, woke up here with a new programming. Raven had to take me apart before she could help me regain control. Found Harley on the way back here, Killer Frost and Gizmo are tied up in one of the other rooms."

"So it's the same Raven you once worked with?" Amanda asks.

"How many purple headed half demons do you know?" Cyborg asks without taking his eyes off Starfire.

"The answer could surprise you." Amanda says. "But it's the one you know that's accompanied Diana and developed a new bag of tricks?"

"Yes." Cyborg says while scanning Starfire, cringing inwardly, some of her injuries have opened again.

"I didn't know she was an Amazon."

"Until a month and a half ago, she wasn't. Look, I'd like to fill you in on everything, but I have to conserve power." He says while looking down at his missing arms.

"Just answer me this, how likely is she of reaching Wonder Woman?"

"With what I've seen, I'm more worried for those who get in her way." Cyborg says as he sits down next to Starfire and shuts down.

"I won't bother getting annoyed with you doing this, because it's you." Rancid says as he watches Nightwing turn the cell inside out, while he leans against the door frame. "But I've had people all over this cell every time someone disappeared." They are in the isolation cell in the sub basement, nothing more than room with a green painted concrete floor and yellow-white walls with a single bunk, steel toilet and a lamp in the ceiling.

"Thank you for the confidence in my abilities." Nightwing replies. "What kind of surveillance do you have here?"

"Thermal, radiation, moleclular instability and we even had Raven in here to ward the walls against magic. Also, the higher up's had some dude in here to stop 'temporal displacements' as the guy called it, but I've never heard about it or seen him before."

"When did that guy show up?" Nightwing asks as he checks under the single bed, somehow it bothered him that a technician would be so specific with something most other people just called time-travel obviously Rancid didn't know what it was.

"Six months ago. He came in with a note from the commissioner to let him do his thing, I called the commish to clear it of course, but everything was in order. Guy was a little shorter than you, black hair, skinny and had one of those small pointy mustaches cartoon villains tend to favor."

"Caucasian?"

"No, he looked more Asian to me, from what I remember that is."

"Don't suppose you have video surveillance of him?" Nightwing asks, knowing it was probably not the case given the time span.

"Afraid not, videos are purged every two months unless something is on them, unless Foley decided to keep it for some reason. You're thinking of something?"

"I'm thinking you've been duped, the description you give sounds like Warp." Rancid seems to think about it for a second.

"You're right, only he was without his armor. Damn maybe it was him and someone duped my phone?"

"I think that's what's happened. Do you know where he installed anything?"

"Under the bed I believe, in the floor. Here let me." Rancid says before walking inside and lifts the bolted down bed off the ground, taking the bolts with him.

"I didn't know you were that strong?" Nightwing asks in surprise.

"I am when I draw on that demon stuff the Brotherhood pumped me with. There's not much left of it any more, since Raven pulled most of it out of me. So do you see anything?" He asks diverting Nightwing attention back to the job at hand.

"No, looks like ordinary concrete, hold on." He crouches and begins knocking on the ground with one of his sticks, making hollow sounds. "Think you can make a hole in this?" Rancid smirks at him before bringing his big boot down on the spot, cracking it, stomping on it again her breaches it. The two dig the rubble free, finding some kind of machine buried under it.

"If he used an afternoon to set up something like this and bury it, you can call me Arthur Light, what is that?" Rancid says while looking at it, it was far larger than what he remembers seeing brought in.

"I have no idea; I need someone else to look at this." Nightwing agrees before walking out of the cell to get a signal. "Batman, you got a sec?"

"_Lantern is about to start digging."_ The man replies in his usual tone._ "What is it?"_

"We found some kind of machine down here in the isolation cell I need you to have a look at it."

"_I'll be there shortly."_

A few moments later the Dark Knight is studying the machine intently alongside Steel, whom he brought along for expert opinion.

"I've seen something like this before." Steel says eventually.

"Booster Gold's time machine." Steel nods at Batman's conclusion. "We are going to need him for this." Batman sighs.

"Unfortunately." Steel grumbles. "Sorry if my knowledge doesn't extend to time travel." Batman just grunts as he dials up the number needed to get the attention-hogging hero.

"Mr. Terrific, we need Booster Gold down here."

"_Sending the coordinates to him now. And I've got a call from Themyscira, somehow they know something is up and they are sending someone over to assist; a Donna Troy and Cassandra Sandsmark?"_

"I've heard of them, they could prove useful, Batman out. Nightwing I need you to go greet our new arrivals, somehow Themyscira has been alerted."

"Will do." Nightwing replies before heading out.

"Fine, if it will make you shut up and keep working, I will send a team after her!" Lex sighs, the Grey Amazon as he calls her is proving to be a real cause for concern now, single handedly she has pushed her way through four levels and with no apparent intention of stopping and Tala is growing very nervous about it.

"I warned you she was trouble." Tala mentions.

"Shut up!" Lex snaps. "I will get a team she can't beat, you get back to work!" The woman nods before leaving, letting Lex dial up a few frequencies.

"Lobo, Terra, Dr. Psycho, Psycho-Pirate and Zatanna, get to Wonder Woman's cell before that Amazon frees her, capture or kill her!"

Diana's p.o.v.

"_Athena, Aphorodite, Hera…help me in this hour of need, please."_ It is an often overlooked fact that I do pray to my gods, mostly to assure them that I have not forgotten them, but also when I need guidance and reassurance of the paths I walk are the right ones. Mostly my prayers receive no reply, but I know they are heard. Now I pray for deliverance from this nightmare, this nightmare my sisters have endured, but I have been spared, so far. Bruce warned me after I told him the story of the Amazons, that I risk the same fate in this world of ours, I was still relatively new to the outside world back then and boasted that it would never happen to me, it couldn't, but now I am failing my own boast.

I see now why Raven hates this monster so much, this 'man' who calls himself Dr. Light. His hands are everywhere, everywhere I don't want them and I will kill him for it if I ever get my hands on him! The fiend started with simply removing what remained of my dress, leaving me completely exposed to him, before he removed his cape, shirt and gloves. After that the hands began their wandering and his seemingly endless monologue, claiming he will make me feel like a real woman, that he will make me happy…the pig. Also he has not held back with using either his tongue or whatever the Joker left behind, leaving me with more bruises and cuts. I only find one small spark to feel grateful for, he is not aroused, not yet and I know why, he needs me to scream.

He has of course tried, using fists, the weakling, I can hardly feel them. A spare knife the Joker left behind, I keep my teeth clenched as he uses it. The buzzer that was tossed aside, I refuse to scream at this but I am not far from my boundary any more. The pain is one thing, but he is humiliating me while doing it. The Joker started with the makeup, now he has picked up on it, writing words on me that degrade me, turning me into an object. He said he claims ownership over me as he puts a dog collar on me with a leash attracted to it. _"Merciful gods, please aid me."_

"Come on, I know this hurts." He says while pushing a finger into a wound below my right ribs left by Cheeta, I hiss. "It's ok to scream, even for you."

"Never…" I heave, I don't know if I can live through the event if I do.

"Hmm, perhaps I have been going about his the wrong way, the Joker's way." He says with a smile. "Now we do this the Arthur Light way." He continues as a white glow begins to surround his hands, he notices I am staring a bit at it. "Surprised? Well, I had help; I no longer need the suit. Now tell me if this hurts." I can't do anything as he raises his hands and takes my sight away in a white flash of light before everything goes black. I can feel the heat rising off him as his powers keep building. "Are my hands warm enough for you Princess?" He asks before I feel a pair of hands at my inner thighs, I can't hold back anymore when they press against me with the temperature much greater those found in Hepahestus' forge. He breaks me, I give in and scream and squirm to get the hands away grinding the bones of my broken limbs together adding more pain. I suddenly hear a crash of something heavy.

"YOU!" I barely recognize the voice belonging to Raven, it's brimming with surprise, hate and rising anger. _"Sweet gods, thank you."_

"What!? No, NO! Stay awa…AAARRRGGGGH!" I feel something warm splash over me following the roar, by the gods I hope he's suffering. I can feel someone close to me, but I am not afraid any more.

"Diana…By Azar, what has he done to you?" I hear Raven gasp. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!" I hear him scream as she pulls away, I guess Light is still alive as I hear weeping and more screams as he is injured even futher by the sound of it. "You don't deserve to live you-you monster!" A sudden pause. "Get out of the way Hemon!" That old man who raised her? I thought he was confined to her mind. "This man has tortured and murdered women and children Hemon! And now this! He does not deserve life! What kind of society allows something like this to live?!" A lengthy pause, I can feel the room shift in a subtle way, the temperature seems to rise suddenly before a scream of pure rage and frustration pieces the air, it not something that should come from a human throat spanning from a deep bellow to a high pitch, my ears are ringing as the room goes cold.


	28. Monsters Ball pt 5: Breach!

3rd person p.o.v.

"Hey hey, looks like the party has started without the Main Man." Diana looks up at the voice, still trapped in the machine that is sparking wildly, having taking the brunt of Raven's rage along with the rest of the room. The the room is in various stages of ruin, with the worst being around Raven and the bleeding and mewing Dr. Light in the far left corner. Next to Diana, who is smeared in blood, is the right arm that was once attached to Light.

"Oh, blood, mutilations and naked Amazons, this is going to be a good day." The diminutive Dr. Psycho says, as he rides into the room, using Zatanna as a horse. Beyond only coming up to most people's hips, he has watered black hair that covers his high temples and something that could pass for a beard if one was generous to it, oddly enough he is dressed in a black suit with a while shirt underneath and a black tie appearing as if he was about to have a fine dinner.

Raven turns to regard the rest of them in her human guise with hatred still burning in her eyes. "Say I've met you before." Lobo says while pointing at her, Raven ignores him as she looks at the others. From what Raven knows of the woman, she guesses Zatanna has also suffered a fair amount of abuse during her time here, as her clothes are worn and tattered with the busies that can be seen through the fishnet stockings and on her face. The Psycho-Pirate is a man dressed in a red and black checkered costume with four sections on his chest with medieval fashioned shoes, a red cape with a high collar and a featureless golden mask on his face, Raven has read about him. Richard had insisted on her knowing the man inside out when he found out how her powers worked. His mask is his power and it allows him to force others to feel exactly what he wants them to and then direct them for his own purposes. It is debatable if it is a boon or not for the man, since he has been driven insane by the use of the mask, which has resulted him acting like an old fashioned jester much of the time.

The reunion with Terra is something Raven could have done without, and something Raven kinda feared ever since Beastboy found her in a school in Jump City. After the others left the Tower, Raven had accessed Robins file on the blond geomancer, finding several points of worry Robin had uncovered. Terra was a fugitive from Markovia, a small southeastern country in Europe to which she had some kind of connection to the royal family. At some point she fled to the States where her powers began manifesting in sudden bursts, leaving a lot of injured and dead behind, Robin speculated that these were merely accidents. What worried Robin was that with the time spent with Slade, could have proven damaging to the girls mind and that for all they knew, Slade's neural implants that allowed him to control her, were in fact still inside of her. As Raven looks at her, she doesn't seem that different from the girl she knew. Still has her long blond hair, skinny body that has only become a little taller over the years and her blue eyes. She is again wearing the black shirt with brown gloves, short cream colored shorts and her flight goggles on her head. For some reason, Raven has a hard time figuring out if Terra is being used or not as her eyes aren't blank like Zatanna's, but they aren't giving anything away either, neither is her emotions, which she is certain is deliberate.

"And we have unfinished business." Raven replies in a cold tone as she faces Lobo again. "You are a Czarnian, the last of your kind." She says.

"Heh, yeah. I fragged my home planet as a science project, gave myself an A." Lobo smirks echoing something he told someone else years ago.

"Fascinating, now why don't you just come along so you can at least postpone the inevitable?" Dr. Psycho asks in a bored tone as he jumps off Zatanna, allowing her to get up.

"You are super strong and very durable." Raven continues, ignoring Psycho. "Also there is proof that you can't die."

"Ohh, I see the lady has taken an interest in the Main Man." Lobo smiles, obviously feeling flattered.

"Only because I want payback!" Raven says as her voice hardens and she changes shape.

"What? Did the Main Man not please? Oh well, I'm up for seconds." The large alien replies as he walks closer.

"You talk too much." Raven grumbles as she teleports to a point above him before racing to the ground, she hardly feels the impact on her blade, but she feels Lobo collapsing as he lands next to her, his head rolling off to rest at Diana's feet. Standing up calmly she eyes the rest of the group. "He will regenerate, eventually, will you?"

"That was unexpected." The Pirate says.

"Get her!" Psycho yells, Raven can tell he is suddenly scared now.

Lex Luthor is worried, as he watches the confrontation through a camera. He didn't care for the abuse Wonder Woman went through as long as she became manageable afterwards, but the tremors in the ground had brought his attention to the screens in time to see Lobo getting felled like a tree; and he was supposed to be his first answer to the kryptonian.

While trading useless banter with Lobo, Raven had time to formulate a priority list for her to work after. Without Lobo, they have no close quarter specialist. Terra is apparently the most harmless of them all, with no earth around for her to manipulate safely. Zatanna is another matter, depending on how much control they have over her, she can kill practically anyone with one backwards pronounced sentence. The Doctor and the Pirate are both mind manipulators, a field Raven is confident she can resist them long enough to neutralize them.

She can feel something niggling in her mind as perception shifts and instead the four adversaries she knows them to be, she sees Artemis, Io, Philipus and Antiope standing there with pleased expressions, Raven sheathes her sword and plays along.

"You have done well sister." Artemis congratulates her; Raven can feel a wash of happiness come over her.

"Indeed, you have saved Diana from these cruel men." Penelope adds. Raven isn't fooled by any of this, this is Dr. Psycho working, the warm feeling of happiness is coming from the Pirate. "Come, let us take you both home."

"Yes, we will go home." Raven says flatly as she walks closer. "But not with you!" She continues as she comes within striking distance of the phantoms. Lashing out with her right fist, she hears bone breaking as Philipus' is sent into the back wall, the punch is followed up by a swift kick at Penelope's knees, Raven can feel the impact of something that she can't see. As expected the illusion is dispelled as Dr. Psycho slides down the wall behind him, revealing Zatanna lying on the ground with a broken jaw. Leaving the Pirate and Terra, the Pirate looks as surprised as he can, as the golden mask gives some indication of his facial expression underneath, Terra looks unbothered for some reason.

"You are supposed to be happy with us." The Pirate complains. "Perhaps you should really be angry with us!" This brings Terra out of her supposed stupor, as she grabs hold of the Pirate and turns him away before his mask takes effect.

"Are you insane?! She'll kill us all if you do that!" Raven isn't sure if she is supposed to be amused, shocked or angered. With that little display, Terra just showed her colors; she doesn't have a chip.

"Yes, I am insane. But what are you?" He asks before his mask floats off his face, courtesy of Raven, revealing a mid-aged man with brown eyes underneath. "Hey! That's mine." He says as he grabs after the mask floats to Raven's hand.

"Like my emotions are my own." Raven replies as she holds the mask up in front of her. "How does this work? Do I just have to tell you wet yourself in fear?" The Pirates eyes go wide at the question.

"NYYYAAA! Don't hurt me!" The man crumbles to the ground in fear curling up in a ball with a small puddle forming under him as the mask works on him.

"Guess it's that simple." Raven says as she lowers the mask from her face, letting her powers surround it, she bends and twists it into ball she drops next to the pirate. "Why this Terra?" She asks as she changes back into her human guise and takes off her helmet, genuinely wanting to know why she has chosen this path, hoping that Terra wasn't doing anything because she knew she was outmatched.

"I am only looking out for myself; Luthor gave me an offer I could not turn down."

"Which is?" Raven asks.

"Markovia of course, that little rat hole of a country that chased me out in the first place." Terra gives Raven a wicked smile that tells of the idea's she's already had, none of them nice.

"And you think a man like Luthor will actually hand you something he doesn't have?"

"Not yet he does, but with his plans, that will soon change. So are we going to do this fight of ours where I hand you your ass on a silver platter again?" Terra says as she puts up her fists as if she was going into a boxing match.

"Things have changed Terra, but you never could beat me if I went all out." Raven sighs, it was true, the only fight the two had only had Terra as the victor because Raven was also fighting for control of her own mind.

"I see all those years in solitude have had their effect." Terra replies as she keeps her guard up.

"Walk away Terra. I don't have time to waste on you." Raven says as she turns away to assist the real reason she is here.

"Coward! And I always knew you were!" Terra shouts before leaping at Raven's back but is thrown back by Raven's telekinetic powers.

"Who are you to call her a coward?!" Diana asks, adding her own sense of outrage. "She has not spent her entire life running from herself!"

"Ow that stung Wonder Whore!" Terra barbs back as she gets up.

"I warned you Tara. But no one insults Diana while I am around!" Raven quickly turns around again and seizes Terra with one hand around the blonds' throat, lifting her off the ground while forcing her back into the door-frame.

"You wouldn't, you don't have the guts!" Terra squirms around in the constricting grasp; her eyes betray how surprised she is at the feat.

"Wouldn't I?" Raven asks calmly, putting more pressure in the grasp, Terra begins to gasp for air leaving her to frantically claw at the arm and hand holding her. "You refused the help of the Titans when we offered it freely, you sided with Slade and turned us over to him while pretending to be a friend. History is ripe with your kind and their reward's, traitor!" Raven growls as she really considers breaking Terra's neck.

"Le…let...g…go!" Terra's struggles become less frantic and her eyes begin rolling around in their sockets.

"Let her go Raven, she's not worth the grief, much less the effort." Diana's suggestion instantly grants Terra release as she is dropped on the ground where she lies heaving for air.

"Yes your highness." Raven replies flatly as she turns away from the blond as she blows the chips she finds on the Pirate and Zatanna. Looking over the machine, Raven lets her powers slip into it, in attempt to find a switch, finding none, she begins tearing it apart from the inside, resulting in several small explosions. One, finally results in sparks flying from Diana's restraints, Raven quickly pulls her powers out as Diana tumbles out of the machine into her arms. "By Azar, what have they done to you?" Raven asks quietly as she guides Diana onto the ground.

"Is it bad?" Diana asks. "I can't see."

"It won't be in a moment."

"No, there is more at stake here, you will need that energy." Diana waves her off, knowing that a glowing blue hand was about to descend on her. "I'll be fine when you get back."

"I am not going to leave you, not here. I left you at the dinner and this is what happened. I swear I will clean this mess up when I get you out of here."

"I know." Diana sighs. "Tell me, what did you do to Light?"

"He is one arm shorter; Hemon prevented me from finishing him off." Raven sighs. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

"You arrived just in time, he didn't take my dignity." Raven is visibly relieved at the knowledge, except to Diana.

"Let's get you out of here?"

"I would be nice, is there anything I can wear?"

"I think you will prefer not wearing anything from Lobo or Light?" Raven asks. "And I am afraid the Pirate has soiled parts of his cape."

"Lights cape will be fine, no need to coddle me." Diana jokes weakly.

"Then I won't, after you tell me where you hurt."

"Left leg, right arm, both broken." Diana says as she feels a piece of cloth wrap itself around her body.

"Hold onto me. "Raven says as she pulls Diana up by her left arm. "Can you make it?" Raven asks as she notices Diana hold up her injured leg while her free arm hangs limply by her side.

"I will, but you could fly us out?"

"I am not sure I can keep us both up right now, and the walls are warded."

"Oh, well, let's go then." Diana says as the two make their way out, leaving the wheezing Terra behind.

"It's what I call a temporal remote." Booster Gold says after studying the machine. "Basically when it's activated, it can freeze parts of a room while time speeds up other places. This in an old model in my day."

"Can you work it?" Steel asks.

"No, these are usually operated by remote control. But I can tell you where it points." Gold replies. "The camera in the corner and at the back wall, the lenses here are separated." He notes with a finger at a circular disk on the machine.

"Freezing the camera while eroding the wall?" Steel speculates.

"Precisely and rebuilding it when needed."

"Steel, try and take a swing at the wall." Batman suggests.

"I will add this cell is made to hold Mammoth if needed." Rancid mentions from outside the cell.

"We will get Superman down here if Steel can't crack it." Batman says as he exits the cell with Booster behind him. "Ok, clear."

"Here goes nothing." Steel says as he hefts his hammer making sure he has proper space to swing, bringing it to bear on the wall. The reinforced concrete crumbles beneath it, revealing a dark passage way behind it.

"Ok, I take that back. Maybe I need to have it looked over." Rancid sighs in annoyance.

"Don't sweat it, my hammer can crack steel." Steel says while he pats his hammer.

"So you were the leader of the Teen Titans?" Donna asks after the formal introductions between Nightwing and the two women had been made. Donna is wearing a sparkling black sleeveless jump suit that could pass as a dress, with a white sash around her waist and a pair silvery boots that come up to her knees. Nightwing admits she is quite a sight, but he knows she is just impressed by his past. Cassandra is a different matter, wearing a black t-shirt with Wonder Woman's eagle logo on her chest along with a pair of tight red pants with white stars running down the sides, curiously her blond hair is cut short, for a girl, and is sticking out everywhere, reminding Nightwing of his old hair style, and lastly a pair of flight goggles.

"I was, so what can I help you two with?" He asks, knowing they are close to breaching the structures from the excavation in the courtyard, judging from the mines Green Lantern is detonating.

"You can start by telling us where Wonder Woman is." Cassandra starts, her tone is close to hostile and quickly gets a look from Donna.

"We are digging our way down to where we believe she is." Nightwing replies.

"I assume Raven and the other hostages from the Ball are also down there?" Donna asks.

"It was Cerberus who led us here; we guess he was drawn here by her." Nightwing and Donna are impressing each other slightly with how they pretend to not see the huge demon in the courtyard behind her.

"So why is only one of you busy digging that hole?" Cassandra asks pointing to Green Lantern being the only one digging, Nightwing wonders if Bruce knew it would be like this.

"Because someone has rigged the underground with explosives and other such things, that make anything but Green Lantern digging a risky endeavor, we may have found another way inside but we aren't sure yet." Nightwing explains as he notices Cerberus sniffing the air before changing size and runs past them down the halls to the cell.

"_Nightwing, we have a breach down here."_ Batman calls over the communicator.

"Breach!" Green Lantern yells as he lets his giant green drill disappear.

"We have breached up her as well." Nightwing reports.

"_I am going this way, bring those who want to."_ Batman says before closing the line.

"Any of you ladies want to go with me; we have another entrance as well." Nightwing ask while holding the door for the two.

"I'll go with you, Cassie go with the others." Donna says before the blond can protest, she just sighs instead.

"Damn it! Not now! I am so close!" Lex grumbles as the red warning lights in his command center blinks', signaling his complex has been breached from the outside, he quickly looks over the maps; one breach is two levels over the prison block. Another is the jail extraction shaft. On his scanners he can see the intruders as small red dots, 6 in the shaft and a small army coming through the other, lastly there are two slowly moving through the deepest part of his complex a mere two levels above him."The walls are breached, Cheetah take your team to the shaft exit! Everyone else get to Alpha deck! Expect capes and soldiers, I will activate the defense systems to keep them at bay." He slams the microphone into the table while he curses. "Why now? How did they find us?!"

"Something has drawn them here." Tala says softly.

"Tala, must you keep breaking off from your work to trade useless banter? GET IT DONE!" Lex bellows, the last thing he needed was some of his closest getting cold feet.

"Any idea who we are up against?" Donna asks as the group consisting of Steel, Batman, herself, Nightwing, Booster Gold and Rancid, who insisted on finding out who has undermined his prison, is makes their way down through the shaft with Cerberus in the lead.

"Luthor by the looks of it, except he has been gone for over two years now." Steel says. "This is his kind of thing, unless someone else I don't know about could cook something like this up."

"Grodd is also an option." Batman says. "If it wasn't for Atomic Skull who claimed Grodd was walked out of an airlock in space before Darkseids invasion."

"We have company." Rancid says as he noticed a group of people waiting at the end of the corridor.

"Slade." Nightwing hisses as the man steps into the light with the rest of the group, Katana, a woman who copies Slade choice of clothes, except for the half mask she wears. With them are also the heavyset Kataro, Catwoman and Cheeta. "He's mine." Nightwing growls. Cerberus has no illusion at who has his interest as he starts barking loudly while storming down the corridor while growing in size.

"SELENA RUN!" Cheetah yells before the two feline female are chased deeper into the complex by the burning and barking monstrosity.

"Get them!" Much to Batman's, Nightwings and Rancid's surprise, it is Kataro that yells the order. The others move wordlessly to engage their targets. Donna ends up squaring off against Katana, regarding her warily, unsure what she was capable of. Steel is quickly straining against the dual katana's wielded by the mystery woman with his hammer's shaft, he is not about to test his armor against them. Batman stares at Kataro and his metal rod. Leaving Rancid and Booster Gold without an opponent.

"Booster, go make sure the dog doesn't kill those two." Batman says quietly without taking his eyes off Kataro, but otherwise stands still.

"Got it Bat's." Booster replies happily before flying off.

"Rancid, a little help?" Steel asks as he is no match for the speed of his opponent, leaving him to parry everything the much smaller woman throws at him.

"Got it!" Rancid says before trying to tackle the woman from the side, she dodges nimbly out of the way with a back flip.

"You must know, I am the greatest fighter alive!" Kataro boasts as he circles Batman slowly with his rod pointing at the man.

"Show me." Batman replies calmly. Kataro attempts to make a wide swing with his weapon, which Batman catches in his outstretched left hand before planting his right foot in Kataro's face, knocking the big man down and out.

"You're awfully quiet." Nightwing notes as he dodges a punch, no reply except a kick. "What's the matter Slade, taking orders again too much for you?" Still no reply, off to the side Nightwing notes that Steel and Rancid manage to catch the woman between them, knocking her down before they manage to knock her out. To the other side Donna is engaged in a test of endurance as she has crossed her bracelets, holding back the tip of Katana's sword.

"Notice that none of them are talking?" Batman says from the side.

"Slade isn't even trying to get into my head for once." Nightwing admits, and he is slower. "A little help, this isn't the Slade I wanted." Nightwing sighs. Batman moves up silently behind the man and hits him once in the neck, bringing him to the ground. The screech of metal and a punch announces Katana's demise.

"Hey, what's this?" Rancid asks, having noticed something sticking out under the neck of the Slade woman's mask.

"Hold up let me have a look." Steel says before pushing the man aside and pulls off the mask, revealing a white haired girl a few years younger than Nightwing with a white eye patch and a small circular disk at the back of her head. "Remind you of anyone Batman?"

"Waller." Batman grumbles. "Check the others." He orders, they find them all with such a disk attached. "These aren't mind control devices; they are obedience chips, developed by Cadmus. Meant for convicted metahumans, if someone feels like it, it will send a small powerful discharge of energy into their brains, killing them almost instantly. Can you disable them?"

"Sure, got a small EMP cannon for this." Steel says as he pats his wrist cannon.

"I'll get my boys down here to pick up those we find." Rancid adds before calling up the prison.

"Damn it!" Faraday curses as he watches another of his men fall due to the sniper fire from drown the hall. As they had filtered into the complex the most Leaguers had been almost immediately occupied by a large force of meta humans, Faraday was sure he had seen one or two of the Leagues own members amongst the group. And now he and his men are pinned in place as they have run into what looked like several men called Deadshot. As there seems to be several of them at the other end and seven of his boys are down because of it. "Where are those capes when you need them?!" He asks angrily.

"One second." Faraday almost misses it as Cassandra flies past him and into the kill zone, deflecting bullets as she goes.

"After her!" Faraday yells before following suit.

"Are we outside already?" Diana asks as they enter the green room. Raven is worried, Diana is stumbling more and she is talking constantly, she guesses it is the bloodloss that is affecting her and that Diana knows it. Also Raven fears Diana is traumatized to some degree, but is refusing to show it as she is talking about anything other than their current situation.

"No, it's a large room with a forest and some big lamps. Probably provides this place with air."

"Oh." Diana sounds disappointed.

"We will get there." Raven replies while trying to sound optimistic, but she fears that Diana will pass out before they reach an exit. "How are you feeling?"

"A little light-headed it's nothing." Raven sighs.

"Diana, I will put you down for a second, I need to check your injuries." Raven says before gently guiding Diana to rest against a tree, she has noted that both Croc and Ivy are not where she left them.

"You need your strength, don't heal me." Diana insists.

"I will have enough, but I won't have you bleeding out on me." Raven counters as she uses her powers to check for internal injuries. "You're bleeding on the inside. Diana I have to heal some of this or I worry you won't reach the exit."

"If you insist." Diana sighs as Raven sets to work, growling after a few moments. "What's wrong?"

"Something is blocking me."

"Resistance to magic I'm afraid." Diana says with a sad smile, a small part of her thinks it's slightly ironic that one of her own gifts might prove a fatal disadvantage, Raven sighs.

"Then I am going to have to carry you Diana, I can fly now and we have to hurry….do you hear that?" She asks picking up the distant sound of gunfire.

"Gunfire?"

"I think we have been found." Raven says relieved. "Let's go greet them."

"Let's." Diana agrees.

"I just need to rearrange your cloth." Raven says as she unties the bloodstained cloth before tying it around Diana again, with her broken arm trapped against her body under it. Finding a suitable branch and vines Raven stabilizes Diana's leg before picking her up bridal style before flying over the canopy.

"I feel like burden." Diana mentions.

"You're not." Raven counters, the last thing she need now is for Diana to tell her to leave her behind. Raven sighs in annoyance as she spots the small group standing at the elevator leading up to the next level. "We have company I'm afraid, Ivy, Croc, Kitten and Killer Moth. They may not be too happy to see me."

"Hey! It's her again!" Croc is the first one to notice the two women who have stopped, hovering above the group, Ivy gets ready to fight even if she is leaning against a tree with her wounded leg, Moth and Kitten make for the trees. "Hey lady! Get down here so I can tear you apart!"

"Considering how it ended last time?" Raven asks. "I don't want to fight you people if I don't have to."

"I'd listen to her." Moth adds from the bushes, Kitten still looks pale.

"I think I will too." Ivy adds.

"Damn cowards." Croc grumbles before moving to block the elevator shaft. "If you want out, you are going through me!" Ivy huffs as Moth and Kitten crawl deeper into the bushes.

"I could take you with me?" Raven adds. "Unless Ivy can grow something for you?"

"Luthor was quite clear about the limitations the Green here can endure." Ivy growls with a scowl.

"You can take up my offer and come with me up to the next floor or you can stay here, it's your choice." Raven says as she floats down to stand before the much larger reptile man. "Move yourself, or I move you."

"Grrr…" Croc grumbles, apparently in a debate about what to do.

"Now!" Raven warns as her eyes glow red and a visible stream of black power starts leaking off her like water. Croc looks at her for a second longer before growls deeply and stepping aside. "Everyone inside that wants to." He continues as she steps inside the shaft. Ivy limps past the still growling Croc, Moth is almost hauling his daughter out of the bushes.

"Daddy I'm scared." Had it been a child or an innocent Raven would have been hurt, but it is Kitten.

"It's ok pumpkin, I'll keep you safe." Moth assures as they pass Croc.

"Last chance Croc." Raven says as she forms a black platform for the group to stand on, Croc gives a final heavy sigh before following suit.

* * *

**Authors notes: **To all the Terra fans out there...you may not like this version.

Otherwise: Happy New Year.


	29. Monsters Ball pt 6: Rescue

"Get that damn dog away from us!" Cheetah yells from the elevated gurney she and Catwoman are using as a refuge from the barking dog under it, they are in what looks like a machine shop, which has unfortunately stranded them on the gurney with no way off. "We surrender!"

"Tell us who are controlling the brainwashed." Batman demands while the rest of the group stands at the entrance, trying not to look amused at the sight.

"It's Dr. Psycho, Tala and Mad Hatter that are in charge of that, wow!" Cheetah almost falls off the gurney as she tries to back away from the leaping Cerberus only to nearly fall off the other side. "They are following Luthor's orders!"

"Donna, would you?" Batman asks as he produces a pair of handcuffs before tossing them to the woman.

"Sure." She says as she catches them and flies up to the two felines. Cheetah sighs as the metal closes around her wrists.

"One more thing." Batman says as Donna is about to lift the two down. "Where are the hostages?" Cheetah seems to hesitate; Donna has an idea of her own and holds the restrained woman out over the platform with the snapping teeth of Cerberus underneath her, Cheetah pulls up her tail and feet.

"Ok OK! The regular prisoners are on the floor above you, we kept Wonder Woman two floors below!" Cerberus comes very close to actually catching her with one of its heads. "PULL ME UP!"

Batman nods and Donna flies off with the two women, Cerberus is about to go after them. "Cerberus! Find Raven!" The demon dog looks at Nightwing for a second, before it heads off in the opposite direction.

"The President and the others will be upstairs." Batman says. "The rest of the League will be as well. "Diana and Raven will be below us."

"Me and Booster will head upstairs and see what we can do." Steel continues for Batman. "Come on, let's go." He says, hauling off Booster before he can protest.

"Where do you want me?" Rancid asks.

"You're not in the League, you decide." Batman shrugs as Donna comes back.

"Then I'm going into the deep end."

"Let's catch up with Cerberus before the smell of sulfur evaporates." Nightwing adds, it was one thing they had noticed fairly quickly, Cerberus smells when he's in his natural shape.

"Hey Nightwing, do you remember that one?" Johnny asks in growing amusement as the group happens upon a tall skinny man in an orange jumpsuit that is sitting against the wall of the corridor while clutching his left hand. Next to him is what appears to have been once a large suit of red armor, right now it is just a pile of scraps.

"Adonis, seems you haven't gotten wiser." Nightwing notes, the man sighs.

"I wasn't exactly counting on bumping into someone with a sword that treated my suit like wet paper. Guess this is the part where I go to jail?" The man replies as he looks up at them.

"Don't worry, your cell is still warm." Rancid smirks.

"Who was it?" Batman asks.

"Raven. That damn woman's lost her mind. All I did was telling her that I thought she looked good, and this is her reply!" He says frustrated as he holds his broken hand forwards as evidence.

"You were never were her type anyways." Nightwing adds with a smirk. "Where did she go?"

"I don't want to lose my other hand, I sent her down the corridor to the elevator." Adonis sighs. "I heard something come up by the elevator a little while ago, but whoever it was hasn't come this way yet. Can I go now?" He asks.

"Well since you're in such a hurry, my boys are waiting at the hidden entrance you people dug into the isolation cell." Rancid adds, Adonis nods as he gets up and begins humping down the corridors. "He always thinks more of himself in that thing." He adds with the man out of earshot while kicking a piece of the armor out of his way.

"One of your old ones?" Donna asks Nightwing.

"Yeah, think you would have hated him with a passion." Nightwing replies as they begin walking again. "He would try and woo any woman while wearing a large suit of armor." He continues, remembering the first night Beastboy turned into a werewolf, Ardonis had called Raven feisty.

"Charming, and he's that skinny when he gets out of it." Donna says while she rolls her eyes at the thought.

"Wuss never came down to the prison gym when we happened to spend time in the joint together." Rancid sighs before almost colliding with Donna's back. "What?"

"Johnny used to be one of our troublemakers." Nightwing intervenes before Donna can make a sour reply. "What made you change your mind by the way?" He asks.

"Well after I finally got thawed out of that block of ice you put me in, I busted out and did my usual routine of getting a bike and something to blow stuff up with and went from there. As I was blazing my way down the main road, Raven appeared out of the ground and froze my bike, sending me flying over the handle bar. As I was trying to get up, I got hit several times over the head with my bike till it was pretty much ruined and so was I. Raven left me with a dire warning about the next time as the ambulance arrived. As I had to spend a month in a cast, I had a lot of time to think. Sure I was angry and wanted payback the first two weeks, but since I kept hurting due to the stuff the Brotherhood put into me, the doc's somehow convinced Raven to come and have a look at me. I guess they had given up figuring out what was inside of me. Anyways, I thought she was just gonna take one look at me then leave to say she had at least looked, but she stayed for hours trying to expel the stuff I was on, told me it was slowly killing me from the inside. She looked worse than me when she was done, but she claimed she was successful before leaving me alone. After seeing that, it got me thinking, she beats me up one minute, the next she looked like she almost killed herself to save my worthless ass. I began wondering why I did what I did and I drew a blank. So I thought about alternatives, and here I am." Rancid finishes.

"How'd you get onto the force?" Nightwing asks, knowing Rancid would have had real trouble there.

"They said that it was only because that I might prove handy to have around that I did, and that I can't get promoted past sergeant, but I'm cool with that part as it keeps me from getting tied to a desk."

"The only sergeant that runs a prison." Batman mentions from up front, secretly wishing that the group would be quiet.

"Yeah, I don't know they got that cleared, but I try keeping everyone inside the walls." Rancid sighs. "I don't think I'm doing the best of jobs." Nightwing is surprised at the admission. Cerberus who is walking a little in front of them suddenly whines a little and stops.

"At least you're trying." Donna mentions as Batman suddenly shushes them. In the distance, they hear a grunt preceding a moan and some shocked gasps. The group begins moving quickly but quietly. Halting at a corner, they all gather to have a look.

"Give her back and you won't have to be carried out!" The menacing figure of Raven says calmly as she stands in the center of the room, Kitten, Moth and Ivy are crowding near the elevator shaft, trying to remain invisible.

With his side to them, Killer Croc stands with his back to a corridor, holding the limp form of Diana by the neck in one hand. "No deal! You leave and I let this one live when I'm clear!" The man replies as Diana groans, Batman is about to throw something at the man.

"You chose this." Raven sighs before she vanishes, and ear shattering roar fills the air a second later. Raven deftly catches Diana as she is dropped, leaving Croc's right arm to fall to the floor alone. As the beast man roars his pain and stumbles to the ground clutching the stump, Kitten feigns as Raven quickly has Diana supported against herself and points her sword at the others. "Anyone else?!" She asks angrily.

"My arm…" Croc whines from the ground.

"Raven!" Batman says sharply, Raven almost blazes with her powers at the new arrivals as she turns to them with her sword pointing at them, but they evaporate when she sees who it is.

"Batman, is that you?" Diana asks at the sound of the voice.

"By the Gods! Diana what have they done to you?!" Donna asks in horror of the sight of Diana.

"Donna?" Diana asks in confusion.

"I am here." Donna says as she races over to Diana.

"I need to get Diana medical attention!" Raven interrupts the reunion. "I can't heal her injuries."

"Down the corridor, through the machine shop and up a trail that leads into Jump City Prison." Raven looks at Donna in surprise for a second before nodding and picks up Diana before she teleports away without another word, Donna is quickly gone as well, the padding of feet tells them that Cerberus is heading that way as well. Leaving Batman, Nightwing and Rancid.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Moth mentions as he kneels by his daughter.

"Are we going to have difficulties Ivy?" Batman asks menacingly.

"No. Get me out of this place." The redhead replies, sounded rather desperately. "I've been without real sun for weeks; I'll take it filtered through bars if I have to!"

"Me too!" Moth adds as he picks his daughter up from the ground.

"Help me…" Croc groans from the ground, his usual green scales begin to look a little grey. "Freak took my arm!"

"You'll re-grow it in a matter of weeks." Batman replies coldly, remembering a time someone tried to control Croc by implanting him with a chip in his arm. Croc had gotten a break at some point and chewed the arm off before eating the man responsible. The arm was re-grown the next time Batman faced off with him.

"Follow me, I'll get you out." Rancid volunteers as he steps forwards to assist Croc. "And don't bite me; you won't like what I have in my veins." He warns as the group leaves, Batman and Nightwing are left with the severed arm on the floor.

"That…" Nightwing begins.

"Was excessive, I agree." Batman finishes. "What will matter is if she knew about his regeneration."

"It was mentioned in the files you gave her to read?" Nightwing asks.

"It was." Batman surmises. "But I will let her know, this is reason why Huntress and I aren't speaking." Nightwing sighs, knowing Raven may have burned her bridges to Bruce with her actions here. "It is a warning, so far, but we don't know what else is going on here and what else she has done to get Diana free."

"I think we will find worse tonight." Nightwing sighs, Batman nods in agreement both knowing things would not have gone well for Raven to be that quick to maim someone.

Appearing in the machine shop, Raven quickly spots the exit into another chamber and runs in the direction, entering the room she finds signs of struggle and a sloping tunnel leading up and a few prison guards. Knowing she has found the way, she runs up the path while trying not to bump Diana too much. "Almost there." Raven says as reassurance to them both. Raven almost stops completely as Diana doesn't reply. "Diana?!" The Princess is unconscious, Ravens eyes widen before she redoubles her efforts and runs as fast as she can. Exiting the tunnel into the isolation cell Raven almost knocks over the guards waiting there as she runs past. Clear of the restricting enchantments in the complex and the cell, she teleports to the surface.

On the surface, everything is gearing down, with the help of the League and the lives of several national guardsmen and members of Secret Service, the President and his guests have been freed and are now being escorted out of the hole in the ground. Had Raven not had emotional attachments involved, she would have listened to Wisdoms sister; Reason, that appearing in a crowd of armed people with a battered and bloody woman in her arms while looking less than friendly, is just not smart.

As she materializes in the prison yard, she is suddenly the sole focus of every gun on standby and the projector of a hovering helicopter. The sudden bright light is enough for her to pause for someone else to issue orders.

"Put the woman down and step back!" Someone yells amongst the crowd Raven fails to pinpoint the yeller.

"She needs help!" Raven replies without complying, trying desperately to locate any sort of medical aid, but the light makes it hard for her to see anything other than the silhouettes.

"Put the woman down!" The yeller demands again, Raven is near panicking as she still can't see anything to help Diana and she completely tunes out the man. "Don't make us shoot you!" Several safeties can be heard clicking off.

"Stand down!" A deep female voice interrupts suddenly, for one soldier this proves dangerous as he is startled and fires a single shot, to Raven time slows to a crawl as she turns her head at the sound, spotting a small dot moving towards her and Diana at an agonizingly slow speed, she is about to give a confused look before time resumes its normal pace and Ravens world suddenly goes black. "WHO FIRED THAT?!" The woman's voice asks angrily after the two women in the spotlight tumble onto the ground.

"I…I did." One guardsman says timidly raising his hand as Amanda Waller stomps over to him, the President and several diplomats had arrived just in time to see the standoff.

"You may just have caused an international incident!" Amanda barks.

"NO!" Another voice yells from the prison entrance. No one has time to react before Donna is kneeling in the mud besides the two fallen.

"Get a medical team to them, NOW!" Amanda yells at the top of her lungs. "Consider yourself under arrest young man." Amanda says as she takes away his rifle, internally she wonders how the government will explain this one.

As two medics pushes past the ring of soldiers, Donna is trying to revive both of the women. "Damn it, I'm not going to lose you two now!"

"Miss you need to move." A dark-skinned male says as they put down the stretcher they are carrying. "Jeez, we need to get her to a hospital!" He says as she spots Diana.

"You keep your hands off her!" Donna says forcefully as the two men make to touch Diana. "I will carry her to the ambulance, get her female doctors!" She continues as she picks up Diana, lifting her off Raven seems to have an effect as the physical contact is broken. Ravens four eyes open with a snap, a second later she is back on her feet again facing down the numerous barrels of the guns carried by the guardsmen, she looks around in an erratic fashion, before noticing Diana in Donnas arms, she seems immediately relieved.

"Raven? Are you ok?" Donna asks in surprise, Raven slowly raises a hand to her right temple find the area hot to the touch.

"Bounced off." Raven finally says before turning to the assembled guardsmen. "Don't ever point a gun at me!" She growls as every gun previously aimed at her, is now pointing into the sky. "Get Diana help." Raven sighs at Donna. "If she wakes up, tell I'm sorry I can't be there when she does." Raven says before she disappears in a cloud of smoke. Donna nods at the spot Raven occupied before flying over the crowd to the waiting ambulances.

"_It's a mess up here." _Flash says over the League communicator. _"We ran into a group of Deadshot doubles up here and large group of our regulars. Got at least 9 dead guardsmen and some 20 wounded. We've checked the three floors up here; we found Ollie and Speedy wandering around like zombies. Merlyn was found with a broken jaw, in one of the rooms Supes said he found Gizmo and Killer Frost wrapped up in pipes. Both have broken bones, Gizmo claims it was Raven that did it."_

"Go on." Batman says, knowing the Flash is not done.

"_We found a special holding cell of some kind up here on the floor where we found the hostages, we found Mad Hatter in it, dead. Someone seems to have electrocuted him. On the good side, we have freed the President and we found Harley Quinn, Bane, Cyborg and Starfire with them, also we picked up Captain Cold in the corridors."_

"Any injuries?"

"_Bane has a few cracked ribs, by his own estimation; Starfire is comatose but looks relatively uninjured, nothing recent. Harley has her hands full of shrapnel. Cyborg seems to be the most heavily damaged as both his arms are missing and the armor on his back is bent out shape. Also he is covered in blood, we aren't sure who's. Oh Christ!" _The line goes dead for a second._ "Sorry, think I just found out where that blood came from. I'm on the level below the hostages, an elevator lobby; Bats I have three headless women up here…correction, I have three headless clones and their 22 sisters, its Mercy Graves, all of them. Most of them are out cold but the ones that aren't don't seem to notice me."_

"At least we know why she suddenly changed." Batman sighs. "Luthor may have made them as a special guard of some kind, she was quite formidable as a bodyguard. Any other signs of struggle?"

"_Plenty, it seems someone punched their way out of the elevator shaft, lots of dented wall, lots of bullet casings and holes around here along with the guns that shot them, all broken. How are things at your end?"_

"We ran into Deathstroke, Katana, Bushido, Catwoman and some girl that dressed and fought like Deathstroke. They were being ordered about by a man called Kataro and Cheetah. After we cleared them out, we followed Cerberus down here, finding Adonis, he also ran into Raven apparently."

"_How bad?"_

"Broken hand and a leg injury, nothing serious. We found Raven and Diana shortly after. Diana is hurt, bad."

"_How bad?" _Flash asks in a worried tone.

"She couldn't defend herself from Killer Croc. Before we could intervene, Raven chopped his arm off." Batman explains.

"_Jeez, are they ok?"_

"Raven only stayed long enough to get directions for the exit, Croc will live." Batman continues. "I need all of the able bodied Leagues to get down here, four floors below your point of entry, whatever we will find, it is bound to be worse when Luthor is involved."

"_Got it Bat's, I'll round up the others."_

In the meantime, Raven is sitting on the ground in the workshop with her back against the wall, feeling very unappreciated. "Why do people always judge me by how I look?" She sighs while staring into the ground, getting shot at was a grim reminder that to the rest of the world, she is still the wierdo. And now she has a headache. "Guess it's better than being dead." She thinks about imagining seeing all of the frightened faces hiding under the helmets as they aim their weapons at her. She guesses they have cause to when they find out what she has been doing down here, to Mad Hatter, to Light and Lobo. How will she explain it? That she saw red when she found Light, that she knows Lobo can regenerate his entire body from a drop of blood? That she has broken several bones just for information? Should she even try? She knows Leaguers aren't supposed to maim their opponents, not even when angered. "I've failed, I'm not a Leaguer, I can't be." She sighs in realization. Turning her mind over, she starts analyzing all of her relationships, Themyscira, Titans, Azerath, all of them. "I've failed them all." She's turned into the thing Azerath fled from, she's failed in keeping Diana safe and she is employing methods that are too extreme for the Titans. "Am I even a hero anymore?!" She yells, daring the world to provide her with an answer. After what feels like minutes, nothing has given her an answer to her question, not even Hemon or any of the others. Raven sighs deeply before pulling her legs up to her chin and buries her head in her arms. She tries not to think about anything, but the events of tonight keeps coming. Batman will no doubt have her incarcerated somewhere, after having gone through every single piece of evidence, whatever she may have done before will count for nothing. Hawkgirl, Flash and Green Lantern will no doubt return to their initial perceptions, probably joined this time by Superman. She guesses J'onn will get rid of that recording she helped him make. And the Titans, her oldest friends will wash their hands of her. Her train of depressing thoughts are interrupted by a deep whine before a head pushes its way into the space under her arms and lower body. "Go away Cerberus." Raven sighs. The dog begins to wag its short tail, but doesn't move, Raven looks up and the dog pulls out its head. "Just go, you don't want to be around me." She continues as she lets her legs stretch and her arms slump to the ground, Cerberus sees this as an invitation and moves to stand with his forepaws in her lap while licking her face. "Quit it!" Raven grumbles, but she can't bring herself to stop him. "I don't deserve you." She sighs as the dog sits back down to look at her. "I should have died with Trigon." Raven continues, at the mention of the name, the dogs eyes flash for a second as it barks loudly.

"_Yes, do kill yourself and Trigon will have you for an eternity."_ A deep bass voice sounds within Raven's head one she recognizes as belonging to the blade still on her back. "_As much as I would care to see that happening, it would result in me being forgotten in a corner of Hepaestus' forge once more."_

"Such consideration." Raven grumbles. "When did I allow you to speak?"

"_I am just tired of your sulking when you have no reason to, not yet, you only had a prophecy of Trigon arriving, not what will happen now. They may not even bat an eye at your actions when they have the whole story. But why should their opinion matter to one such as you? You who have fought gods and demons, why such mortal offal have any right to judge you? They are cattle, you are a queen!"_

"Enough!" Raven yells. "They matter…they matter much more to this world than I ever will! You say they are cattle? I say they are guiding lights, the ones to aspire to!"

"_You are a god…"_

"I am an abomination that should have been put down at birth! I am alive because of the mercy of others, Azerath is gone because of me, this world was nearly destroyed because of me. Yet no one ever came and tried extracting vengeance because of either of these events, for that I owe these 'cattle' everything!"

"_You are no servant…"_ The blade continues.

"No, I do this willingly. You are however a servant and you should remember your place!" Raven growls as she lets her powers enter the sword, getting a scream out of the being trapped inside. "Never speak to me unless given permission to." She warns as she feels the demon in the sword retreat. "Come on Cerberus, I have crimes to answer to." The dog woofs happily as it follows' Raven out of the workshop.


	30. Monsters Ball pt 7: Terror of Terra

She is not even close to where she left Batman and Nightwing, but she can already hear the argument clearly.

"I say she is too dangerous to have around for this. Who's going to be the next one to lose a limb?!" Shayera argues, Raven keeps moving, after the argument with Apollyon, she is dead set on letting things play out, the acts have been committed and now she has to face up for committing them. On the way, she has taken off her helmet and gloves; she wants to let them know that she will not come with them unless they want her to. Cerberus is still following after her, apparently just happy to be near her again.

"Raven was given files on every major case in Gotham when she was undercover, Croc's mention that he can regenerate that kind of damage." She can hear Nightwing reply, out of the group, she fears his reaction the most.

"Nightwing…" She can hear John begin.

"Look, I am not saying she could not have handled this differently, but I believe she knew it will grow back." Raven notes grimly, as Nightwing cut's John short, that one of the first things she will have to do is to tell them about Light, the one who can't regrow limbs.

"She could have just entered his mind a make him drop her." Flash continues.

"Look we are all arguing in circles, I want to hear her version of this." Superman cuts through. "Will you tell us what happened here?" He asks as she appears out of the corridor, having long since heard her coming. Even if her heart falls into her stomach, Raven walks calmly into the elevator lobby. Minus Wonder Woman, all of the founders are here along with Nightwing.

"I will." Raven agrees firmly.

"Whatever else you've done, can wait." Batman says before anyone else can say anything. "Whatever Luthor is doing, has to have our main priority. We are one founder down, Raven and Nightwing will fill her spot till this is over." Raven notes without looking that three jaws drop, in the meantime a part of her screams blasphemy about her replacing Diana. "Agreed?"

"I agree." Superman says.

"I do as well." J'onn says quietly.

"Before you vouch for me on this, you need to see the last part." Raven says, getting stares from Superman and something that appears to be a raised eyebrow from Batman. "Diana was not alone when I found her. Follow me."

"I found Beastboy here changed into a pony for Kitten's amusement, when she would not get off voluntarily, I fed her one of the nightmares I experienced while I was lost, having my eyes removed and eaten by demon." Raven says as they slowly pass over the clearing. Superman is carrying Batman, Flash is speeding along the ground but he is within earshot as they are flying just above the trees.

"Is that what I think it is?" Nightwing asks as he is carried by Green Lantern, pointing at a large pink slime puddle.

"Killer Moth's creations, there should be a larvae somewhere in it." Raven replies. "When he came out of the forest, I threw Kitten at him." She explains while they pass over the trees to the pond. "Croc and Ivy were here, Croc noticed me and Ivy closed the door. I forced her to open it again."

"The wound in Ivy's leg?" Batman mentions.

"Yes."

"Couldn't you just go into her head and tell her to do it?" Flash asks from the water he is running across.

"It hurts both me and them if they resist, which most people do unless asked not to." Raven says as she touches down by the exit the others landing shortly after. "What I want you to see, is down here."

"We are wasting time." John grumbles.

"You won't say that when you see it." Raven sighs as the walk.

"It's gotta be pretty bad for you to do this, or you are in on all of this." Shayera mentions.

"I am not **in** on this, I did not know Luthor was here and I was to be turned into same state as the other unwilling heroes and villains you have seen here." Raven says as she stops by a battered but closed door. "Mad Hatter had put a chip in my bracelets that I disabled before I got them back. I tricked him to release me, but when I wanted to question him, a chip in the back of his head activated."

"Killing him." Batman finishes for her.

"His life is on my hands." Raven says grimly. "This is what I wanted you to see." She says, finally turning to the door and forces it to open, revealing a room with a light fog of smoke coming from the sparking machine in its center. On the ground are several bodies, some moving, others not. "This is where Diana was kept and tortured in an effort to break her." Raven says as she enters, stepping over Psycho-Pirate who is still lying on the floor. "I don't know who they had in here to do it, but Joker was one of them, judging from the clown makeup Diana was painted with."

"So you arrived, then what?" Superman asks.

"Hey Supes?! Wanna give me a hand?" Lobo's deep voice yells from the base of the machine, as his face is turned away from them, they couldn't see it was his head. The others slowly enter, stepping over Pirate as well.

"Lobo and the others arrived after me." Raven says, ignoring Lobo and walking deeper into the room. "He; is the one I found in here with Diana." She says as she stops by a still body on the floor surrounded by a puddle of blood.

The others moves over to see who it is as Raven moves to stand at a wall, getting gasps out of Nightwing and Shayera, John quickly encases Raven in a bubble of green energy. "Start talking kid!" Raven sits down inside, with a blank look on her face. Light is still alive but very pale and unconscious from the blood loss, the stump of arm is only lightly healed, not enough to stop the blood flow entirely, but it has prevented his death.

"Light is a serial rapist and murderer, he preys on women and children he can dominate to fuel his own ego. He has however one flaw, his victims need to scream before he can achieve anything. I know this from his only surviving victim, a Carla Smithson, who was his captive for a week, the usual span he kept them in. She survived only by cruel luck, he wanted to break her neck, but ended up breaking her back. She is now in a home for the elderly at the age of 33, bound to a wheelchair and deeply traumatized. The family asked me find him by any means necessary, so I entered her mind to see where he was hiding and I saw this part of him as well. When I arrived here, Light had just made Diana scream by burning her legs with his powers. I still had my sword in my hand and when I saw what he was doing, I didn't think, I acted. When I saw he had blinded Diana and her numerous other wounds…I wanted to kill him." She says with grim finality. "I wanted to kill him more than anything in the world, but Hemon, talked me down before I could do it." She sighs as she looks at the floor, unwilling to look at the others who stand in muted horror.

"Rae, just tell me, was there no alternative?" Nightwing asks as the first.

"There was of course, I wasn't thinking, all I saw was Diana then the bodies of Light's other victims, then I saw Diana lying dead amongst them. You don't know what she means to me these days."

"And you think she would approve?!" Flash asks.

"She would not have been talked down from killing him, giving the situation." Batman says. "But until a proper investigation can be launched, Raven you are suspended." Raven nods at him, secretly glad he has not had her violently subdued yet.

"You're not suggesting we take her with us?!" Hawkgirl asks in outrage.

"Considering we don't have a place to put her?" Superman asks, revealing the real issue. "I don't like it either, but we have to since…"

"You can't trust me to remain where I am." Raven agrees, no one in their right mind would just let an armed suspect sit unattended.

"But the sword stays sheathed." Superman warns, Raven nods again, she had expected no less.

"Yeah that thing is sharp!" Lobo calls, alerting them to his presence.

"Did you know about that?" Superman asks Raven.

"I did, it's in the League files he once regenerated his entire body from a pool of his own blood, Animal Man was the witness."

"Yeah you should have seen the look on his face!" Lobo laughs at the reminder.

"So who are the other two?" Flash asks, spotting Dr. Psycho and Psycho-Pirate. "And what happened to them?"

"The midget is Dr. Psycho, he warps minds, the other one is Psycho-Pirate an emotional vampire that can control emotions. The doctor is one of Diana's regulars, he hates women. I was told by Bane that he is partly responsible for the conditioning of the unwilling." Raven replies. "He tried making me believe they were a group of Amazons, it was a thin illusion."

Superman sighs. "John let her out. Flash would you mind getting them to the surface?" The scarlet speedster nods before blurring in and out of view, taking a figure with him each time.

"Ew, what was that the jester was lying in?" Flash asks as the last one is gone and he is back, with a wet spot on his left sleeve.

"I made him wet himself in fear." Raven replies flatly as she stands back up, getting a disbelieving expression on Flash's face. "It's true." The man quickly rubs his suit clean by superheating the spot. "We have one down here that I did not knock out." The group looks at her again. "Terra and she is not being coaxed to do this."

"Our Terra?" Nightwing asks.

"Geo-Force's sister?" Batman continues.

"Yes, our Terra. I don't know if she related to the ruler of Marakovia. But we have a blond geomancer down here as well." Raven replies.

"We will have to deal with her if we encounter her." Superman sighs.

"Uhhh…" Diana groans.

"Diana!" Donna is instantly by her side as she opens her eyes slightly. They are in Jump City Central Hospital in a private room. Since arriving Diana has been dressed in a white hospital grown that covers many of the bandages and two casts have been laid around her broken limbs.

"Who's there? Why's it so dark?" Diana asks in confusion at her own blindness.

"It's me, Donna. You are still blind."

"Where am I?"

"Jump City Central Hospital, we brought you here after Raven brought you out." Donna explains.

"It is over then?"

"No, the League has yet to come out. Raven went back in after the National Guard tried to shoot her." Donna sighs before quickly having to hold Diana down as she tries to sit up suddenly. "Diana, it didn't hurt her, only stunned her."

"Are you sure?" Diana asks.

"She was back on her feet the instant I tried moving you off her. Thought I thought she was going to massacre the guardsmen for it." Diana lies back down as her injuries take hold again.

"They might have deserved it." Diana sighs. "How bad is it? My injuries?"

"Bad, you have some kind of chemical running through your veins that is slowing you're healing considerably, the doctors want to do a blood transfusion, but they aren't sure if you can handle it or what blood type you have. Normally, I would say you should be completely healed within a week, but with the poison, you are healing like a normal person." Donna explains.

"Leave it to the Joker to find something like that." Diana growls in annoyance, it never ceased to amaze her how that lunatic could come up with these things. "Have they removed the make up?"

"They have, and that other stuff that was written on you. You should rest…I have a feeling you want me to go there?" Donna asks.

"I would, but I would prefer going myself. They need you more than I do." Diana says.

"Better not, not in your condition." Donna replies sternly, knowing Diana might try and go if both her legs were broken.

"Shayera, left!" Johns warning is immediately acted upon and another dirt monster is treated to a mace blow that sends most of it flying.

"These things are everywhere." She grumbles in reply. "Behind you!" Another creature reaches out of the wall to the man, only to get vaporized by Superman's heatvision.

After exiting Diana's cell they have headed down an old fashioned dirt tunnel a little further in as the concrete complex had stopped. Ever since the last of them had entered, the opening had closed behind them, Superman had confirmed that the entire tunnel was closing behind them as they moved deeper inside. J'onn had been sent out to scout the tunnel, as Luthor was less likely to be able to pin him anywhere. Only a moment after J'onn had left, the first creature stepped out of the wall, with more following after it.

"They are mindless, I sense nothing from them." Raven mentions as she lets her powers crumble another one. "They are Terra's creations."

"She's gotten more control then!" Nightwing adds as he severs the arm of an assailant with one of his batons.

"John clear a path, Raven watch our backs!" Batman orders, John forms two spiked rollers before them before walking behind them the others cover the flanks and lastly Raven blasts and punches any of the constructs that tries getting behind them.

"I see an exit!" John mentions and picks up the pace, as he yells the creatures stop forming, allowing them exit the tunnel into a huge cave made of earth, the only thing lighting the place is several glowing clusters of crystals in various colors.

"Oh God, I am so sorry, I thought you were more of Luthors goons!" A girls voice sounds from above them as a rock floats down to the ground to let Terra jump off to meet John, Superman and Flash who are the first three out. "They lost control of one of their monsters; it killed Lobo and a bunch of the other guys. It almost got me too, but I managed to get away."

"Would this monster happen to be about as tall as me and be wearing a suit of black armor?" Flash asks holding up a hand, guessing he knows who the blonde is talking about.

"Yes." Terra agrees, in the tunnel behind them, Batman holds Raven back, wanting to see what the geomancer is talking about. "Oh, god, I just remembered, Wonder Woman was kept in a cell near the spot I saw it. It may have gotten to her!"

"We got Diana. Tell us, who else has this thing gotten to, we need to know what we are up against." Superman continues, also suspicious about the blonde, because of his extraordinary senses he can tell when people are acting.

"I don't know all their names. But it's killed Dr. Light, Zatanna, a short man with psychic powers and some crazy man with a mask, I've overheard some of them mentioning several others having fallen victim to it. I'll help you find it if I can."

"Kiddo, why are you here? We have met other Leaguers here who have been completely brainwashed, why aren't you?" Shayera asks.

"I…I was lured here by Luthor, he said he could help me control my powers." At this point Nightwing steps out of the tunnel. "When I got here, they attacked me."

"You can't fool people with the same lie again Terra, if Luthor and his goons had attacked you, you would have bruises. Like with Slade, you were welcomed with open arms." Nightwing says.

"Then what do you call this?!" Terra asks as she shows off the marks around her throat. "Hey, how do you know about Slade?"

"You tried to bash my skull in with a rock while you followed Slade." Nightwing says without displaying any emotions on his surface.

"Robin?" Terra blinks twice in confusion, before doing something unexpected by all, she hugs him. "Oh god I'm so glad you're here, it's that witch, she's completely lost it! I think that monster is Raven, she's completely insane!"

"I am afraid the insanity label is yours." Raven says quietly as she walks out of the tunnel followed by Batman. "I made the marks on her throat when she insulted Diana in the cell."

"It's her! She killed them all; get her before she kills you all!" Terra cries as she backs away from Raven, looking terrified.

"You're acting, you're good at it, but you are breathing too calmly and your body temperature hasn't increased." Superman notes.

"Also Lobo is not dead, neither is any of the others." Batman continues.

"Give up Terra, you aren't going to fool us this time." Nightwing finishes, Terra takes on the look of a cornered animal, as she looks at all of them, hoping for at least one supporter, finding none. The League know from their own experience that if Luthor is involved, nothing is left to chance, even one such as Terra would not be allowed to roam free so close to this complex if she was only a remote threat to whatever scheme he is planning. They also know that this room is part of the complex, but under Terra's control, this is her battleground.

Terra's scared expression is exchanged for a calm one; she smirks as her hair falls to cover her left eye. "Pity, I was hoping to get you to beat her up or at least turn on her, Raven is more fun when she thinks her world is crumbling." She says as tremors begin and a rock rises out of the ground to carry Terra into the air.

"Superman, get her!" Batman yells, the Man of Steel is off the ground and in pursuit, Terra looks less than worried.

"Lex wanted me to show you this if you showed up." She says as a yellow glow appears in her eyes. Out of the ceiling, a growing tentacle of dirt races out, aiming straight for Superman. As it comes closer, the point of it is pulled back, revealing a glowing green crystal underneath. Superman begins wobbling as he flies; he stops completely as the tentacle wraps itself around him, holding the crystal at his chest. On the ground, the ground begins to get the same consistency as mud.

"Off the ground!" John yells as he lifts into the air forming a platform for Batman, Flash and Nightwing to stand on while Raven and Shayera lifts off the ground under their own power.

"Oh no you don't!" Terra grumbles as she brings the wall down, behind the group of her in an attempt to bury them. John and Raven forms shields around themselves and their passengers as they retreats further into the room, Shayera is a study in flight as she weaves in and around the falling debris. Raven floats closer to her, wanting to shield the woman as well. They are all caught off guard as a rock races up to smack Shayera in the face with and audible smack before the woman falls limply to the ground. Raven scoops her up before she hits the ground, depositing her on John's platform. "See I told you! It was Raven that threw that! Just like it's her that's doing this!" Terra forms numerous rock spikes in different sizes before they are hurled at the platform, John instantly closes his bubble to deflect the missiles. With John distracted, he is left blind to the dirt tentacle the races up behind him and wraps itself around the bubble several times to stop its movement.

"Get clear!" John says as he opens parts of the bubble to allow the three other men to escape before he closes the bubble again and continues to focus on maintaining the bubble in one piece as it is slowly dragged to the ground.

"Raven, you are the only one who can reach Superman, get that crystal away from him." Flash yells.

"We will keep her busy." Nightwing adds.

"Thank you for pointing that out." Terra smiles wickedly as she turns the floor to mud again while sending small rocks to block the missiles thrown by Batman. "What do you think murderer? Will you make it?" She continues to ask Raven who is flying towards the Man of Steel.

"I don't have to." Raven replies as she dodges a spike coming at her. Focusing she tries to encase the kryptonite in a radiation proof barrier, but she is caught off guard by the rock spike that has turned around, fortunately for Raven her armor takes the brunt of the impact. "Ouf!" Raven cries as she is forced forwards by the spike, slamming her into the wall, she is quickly swallowed by the wall of dirt leaving no trace of her having been here.

"RAVEN!" Nightwing cries in alarm, Terra is forced to form a shield of stone to block the incoming rain of projectiles thrown at her from the ground, while keeping the lower part of the walls in a muddy consistency, preventing the Flash from running up the walls.

"Aww, you miss her already? I'll be sure to bury Starfire alive next then!" Terra taunts. "Maybe I'll bury old Bat's right now?!" The ground around Batman begins heaving and buckling, forcing Batman to execute a series of acrobatic jumps to avoid falling.

"Batman if you are planning something, do it fast!" John calls as his bubble disappears beneath the mud pile.

"Dance for me boys!" Terra crackles gleefully as she watches the three men try to avoid getting buried.

"They look like they need a girl to dance with." Raves voice is enough for Terra to look up; spotting the half-demon that is dropping towards her at great speed. Terra manages to jump from her rock onto another before Raven smashes through the old one.

"Hey no fair, you are supposed to be suffocating!" Terra complains as she sends her rock racing away from Raven.

"I can teleport, Terra, same trick I used when you tried to drown me." Raven replies flatly as Terra sends a compressed ball of dirt towards her, which Raven dodges easily.

"Maybe I should just bash your skull in witch? Just to make sure?" Terra continues. "Dodge this!" She yells as several more balls race towards Raven.

"Enough of this." Raven sighs as her form is encased in black power before it shoots from her like lighting, disintegrating the swarm of dirt balls sent at her. Terra picks up speed as she notices Raven closing in as the two races around the cave in circles. Raven suddenly disappears, yet Terra continues flying in circles while looking back. By having her focus behind her, she does not see Raven materialize in her path in front of her. Raven floats motionless as Terra slams into her, leaving the rock to fly off in one direction, Terra falling to the floor and Raven still floating in the air before following after her. The collision has the immediate effect of Terra losing control over her powers, releasing Superman as he falls limply to the ground and Green Lantern who blasts his way out of the mud pile carrying the still unconscious Shayera in his free arm.

"About time." John coughs.

"You could have done that faster." Batman mentions as he picks up the kryptonite lying next to Superman before storing it in a compartment in his belt.

"I was hoping she had lost it after I reappeared." Raven says as she lands next to Terra, who is slowly trying to rise.

"You could just have entered her mind and told her to stop, like J'onn does from time to time." Flash continues.

"I'm not J'onn, maybe one day you will see why I never force my way into someone's head unless it's absolutely necessary." Raven counters. "Where is J'onn anyways?" She asks as she looks around herself at the mention.

"Good question." Superman coughs as he is helped to his feet by Nightwing. "He should have warned us about her." He looks up suddenly at the wall behind the others in shock. "I see him!" He shouts before he spins like a top and digs into the wall. He emerges a second later with something that has the shape of a man, but it is charred and smells terrible, a mix of cooked rotten meat and old vegetables. The others look worried. "He was trapped in a pocket of methane gas that was set on fire, he needs help and fast!"

"Let me!" Raven says sternly, feeling the worry the people around her are transmitting. She almost pushes Superman away as she has J'onn's burnt body levitate before her as she spreads her arms and lets the blue glow surround herself and J'onn. The others watch wordlessly as they see some of the blackened skin begin to turn back to green, making J'onn look like a dark humanoid with a green spider web covering his body. "Come-on J'onn, it's over, you don't have to be afraid anymore; the fire is gone." Raven mumbles. "I know it's bad, but I am trying to help you." She continues, the others guess she is actually unaware that she is talking out loud. "I know you long to see them, to hold them again but it doesn't have to be now, you are not alone, even if they can't replace what you have lost, they still care." A slight pause. "I'm an empath remember? I can feel they are worried sick about you now, they don't want you to leave." Another pause, the spider webs strings become thicker and the others note that Raven is sweating with the effort. "Me? I want you back as well…My emotions? Happy is just happy that you are talking, Timid is crying over your injuries and is wailing that I can't help, Sloth is sleeping, Wisdom says you have a good chance of living if you really want to. Bravery wants to drag you back the land of the living, then beat you up for wanting to leave. I know, she is like that. Rude is hurling her usual abuse at you. Rage of course wants to roast you some more and Hope does what she does best, hoping."

"Told you she was nuts." Terra says from the ground, her only reply is a blow to the head delivered by the Dark Knight's right hand that leaves her unconscious.

"Hemon wants you to come back as well, he still wants to prove to you he is making up for past mistakes." Raven continues. "The others? Shayera is out cold with a broken nose if I am not mistaken, and the one who did this to you was just knocked out for speaking up. Who else? By Batman of course." A slight pause. "Yes, I have a history with her, and Hemon was right in the explanation he gave you about my feelings regarding her. Robin had some suspicion of her suffering mental illness, but it was never looked into after she was found living an ordinary life. Perhaps we were too soft in that regard, but when we last saw her, she did save the city from a volcano at great personal cost…Now? She goes to jail or a metal ward depending on her state of mind. Yes, it would be fair to do that, but we can't, or rather, we shouldn't. Yes, I have done bad things for the right reasons, I don't want you walking that path with me because you are a hero, I am not. At least I don't know if I am anymore, have done things Leaguers aren't supposed to do as I see it… Thank you, I might want to do that, but you have to be there to see it, I am not sure how much the Martian dead see in the world of the living and I would like you to be physically present if I graduate…No, no I'm not just saying this, I mean it. Just ask Beastboy about my sense of humor. J'onn don't leave this world, please. I am not asking because I am disrespectful about you wanting to be with your family, I am asking because I would like to meet them again, and I would like to know more about your planet and your people, if you go, that chance will be gone forever…Thank you J'onn, I will let the others know." She says in relief, by now J'onn's body only has a few large burn patches, but they are an improvement, Raven opens her eyes to address the other.

"We know. You were talking aloud." Batman says as she opens her mouth to speak. "Will he be ok?"

"Yes, now that he has decided to be alive." Raven sighs, she looks tired. "But I can't do any more for him here."

"He will mend." John says. "But we can't leave him here."

"Uhhh, my node." Shayera groans as she wakes up. "Wat hit me?" The others take the first really good look at her and see her nose is bent completely to the side."Wat?"

"Broken nose, hold still." Batman says as she kneels down in front of her to set it back.

"Uhhhgh!" Shayera grind her teeth as the bone is set back into place, which results in a large amount of blood exiting onto her yellow shirt.

"Hold on, I can med some of it." Raven says as she again summons the energies needed to close the ruptured blood veins, before holding her hands just above the wounded area for a few seconds. "There, nosebleed should stop now."

"Thanks, ow." Shayera says as she tries to stand up, feeling the sting of a headache. "I take it we got her." She replies with a sour tone, annoyed she had missed out on most of it.

"We need to get them both to the surface." Batman says, meaning J'onn and Terra.

"Yeah, if Supes or GL can dig us out of this place?" Flash adds.

"Walls are still warded somehow, even here." Raven mentions before someone can suggest she teleports them out.

"She might have useful information about everything here." Nightwing mentions after he does a quick check of Terra. "She doesn't have a chip."

"It's not safe to interrogate her here." Green Lantern says. "She could bring this whole cave down on us when awake."

"Raven could do it now." Batman says while noting the bit surprised look on Raven's, which she quickly hides.

"It's not safe, and it will hurt us both if she resists." She counters

"She's out cold, how can she?" Flash asks.

"Her mind is not and I haven't tried doing this on a possible mental case." Raven continues. "And there may be after effects."

"The bond?" Nightwing asks as Raven nods.

"A thing like that is something I don't want with her if it is established."

"Then we will find a way to remove it, which is possible." Batman continues. "Will you do it?" Raven thinks for a moment.

"Ok." She sighs. "Superman, I need you to be ready to cool me off rapidly in case something goes wrong, cold will break the contact."

"You got it." Raven nods at him before sitting down cross-legged in the air before Terra and closes her eyes.

"I will be relaying what I see in there, some of it may not make sense." Raven cautions before sending her mind into the other woman.

"I am in a mountain valley; sky is on fire, as is a large village at the bottom, it is a ruin, burning." Raven says she looks around herself, standing on a small hill on the side of the valley. "Looks like a battlefield." She notes before taking off, to get an aerial view of the place. "Judging from the buildings, this place is set in Europe somewhere." As she nears the center of the place, she begins to see people in the streets. "I see people now, if it is like in J'onn's mind, they are memories of people Terra knows. Hold on, I will try it out." She says as she descends, having selected a red headed muscular man in a brown costume. Landing behind him, she touches his shoulder and is flooded by memories of him. "They are memories, I just found Brion Markov, Geo-force, current monarch of Markovia. He is her half brother; her mother is one of the royal maids. It is a royal secret that Terra is an illegitimate child of the former king. She wants to supplant him." She says as she retracts her hand, leaving out Brion was a good big brother, but Terra didn't feel the same way about him. "If I can find Luthor, or Terra herself in here, I should get what we need." She continues as she takes to the sky again coming over a large open space. "Strange, there is a large cemetery inside the city, might be significant." As she flies over the cemetery she drops her altitude so much that she can see the names written on the crumbling stones. A stone in the row behind the one she is flying along catches her attention which make her fly over to it. "I found a stone, with 'Kole' written on it." She says, wondering if it has a connection to the Kole Raven knows; a thought has her touch the stone lightly. As if the stone had been a person, Raven is again flooded with memories. Seeing a purple-pink haired woman in a jungle setting, turned to crystal before being shattered into a million bits when a large stone that lands on her. Blinking a few times as she retracts her hand in surprise, Raven tries touching the stone again.

"_Hello there." _Terra's voice says as she spots Kole in the jungle hidden beneath the ice of the north.

"_Oh hi, who are you?"_ Kole replies happily.

"_I'm Terra, a Titan like you."_ Terran continues.

"_Oh, so nice of you to visit." _Kole replies happily. _"Gnaark, we have a visitor!"_ She yells off into the jungle.

"_No, your executioner!"_ Terra replies in a deeply hostile tone as the caveman appears out of the jungle, he is impaled by several rocky spikes that explode out of the ground he is dead almost instantly.

"_Gnaark NOO!" _Kole cries at the sight. _"You're not a Titan!" _She yells before rushing Terra, she is batted away easily by Terra, landing her on the ground. _"Why are you doing this?"_

"_I hate Titans."_ Terra replies menacingly as she levitates the large boulder that descends on Kole a second later. Raven lets go of the stone.

"Terra, has killed Kole and Gnaark, or she has fantasies of doing it." She says grimly as she stands up, staring at the stone.

"Oh they are quite dead; it was so fun to watch her surprise when I killed the oaf." Terra's voice sounds from above, making Raven snap her attention to the sky, spotting the geomancer sitting idly on a floating rock with a look of amusement on her face.

"Terra! If they are dead. How did you find them?" Raven asks as her body tenses, Terra is after all the ruler of this place.

"Luthor hacked that old communicator you so generously handed out to everyone."

"Why kill them?" Raven continues.

"For fun of course. That and Luthor doesn't want any wild cards running around when his big plan comes into play. Why don't I show your grave? I've kept it ready ever since I met you." Terra continues while smiling wickedly. "You won't die quickly of course; you were after all the only one that wasn't completely stupid. No, I want you to suffer and beg for death. After all this is over, I want to take you to my new kingdom where I can have you dismembered and displayed publicly as a warning to the peasants."

"I know what it feels like to be dismembered, I know what it's like to be tortured to death and you will never achieve that satisfaction." Raven replies as she lifts off the ground. "You have information, I will take it now!" She continues as she teleports behind Terra and grabs hold of her and grimaces as she is flooded by all of Terra's memories.

Out in the real world, Raven is slammed backwards by the experience, landing her on her back where she curls up in a ball with her arms over her head while growling furiously as if in great pain. The others are alarmed to say the least.

"Raven!" Nightwing cries as he rushes to her side. "Whoa!" he yells as he grabs hold of one of her arms just as she twists, sending Nightwing flying thought the air, only to get caught by Flash. "Thanks." Nightwing says as he is put down.

"Hold her Superman." Batman orders, the Man of Steel doesn't reply with words but is quickly struggling with holding the woman down as she begins thrashing about in a seizure like state. John doesn't need to be asked before he adds his willpower to Superman's strength and pin's Raven's legs to the ground with two glowing green bands, even then the two men seem to struggle more than the difference in size would suggest. "Raven snap out of it!" Batman says as he swiftly delivers a ringing slap to the side of her head. Raven instantly freezes letting both Superman and Batman notice that her pupils have virtually shrunk to nothing; slowly they grow larger as she starts breathing heavily while relaxing and slowing the previously frantic breathing. Finally her eyes seem to see the men above her.

"Superman…I need…I need…" She stammers, straining to keep her voice even.

"Raven, what do you need?" Superman asks softly.

"I…I need you to get her as far away from me as humanly possible! I don't know how long I can hold myself back." The last part only comes out as a whisper, but to the man with as an acute hearing as Kal-El, she might as well have been screaming her sincerity, he only nods at her.

"John hold Raven down, I will be right back." John is equally surprised, but redoubles his efforts as more bands surrounds Raven's body, pinning her arms to her side as Superman gets up, before in the blink of an eye, has seized Terra and J'onn and dug a hole into the collapsed tunnel. Raven doesn't look up or complain, but lies motionless on the ground, staring at the ceiling. A single tear escapes her left eye, visible to Nightwing.

"Raven, what is it?" He asks, worried because he's only seen her shed a tear the day the doomsday prophecy came true. Raven gasps at the reminder she is not alone.

"She has killed them." She whispers while closing her eyes.

"Kole and Gnaark?" Nightwing asks, having a dreadful sense that it is not those two that has upset Raven this way.

"…and so many others." Raven says, still little more than whispering. "Nothing has been accidental for her; every fluke of her powers has been deliberate." Nightwing can tell she is avoiding the real problem.

"Rae, who else?" He says softly, but a demanding edge is in his voice.

"My…my kids…"

"What!?" Nightwing says in shock, Raven's Kids, as she called them, weren't old enough to cross the road by themselves last time he saw them four years ago, the oldest, the girl Melvin, wouldn't be more than twelve by now.

"She's KILLED MY KIDS!" Raven screams with the full force of her anguish and grief behind it, before breaking down in violent crying.


	31. Monsters Ball pt 8: Days of Doom

The others begin backing away from Raven as her powers begin spiraling out of control, appearing as black sparks and snakes that disintegrate anything that comes into contact with them. It is a credit to John that he keeps her down, but one could tell he is having an increasingly difficult time of doing it.

"Batman, get some tranquilizers!" Flash yells, the man is already pulling out a syringe with a clear fluid inside of it. As he moves closer, the sparks flying off Raven begin forming together into a ball that floats above her. "Do it fast!" At the cry the ball, the size of a football now, explodes with a dull crump, sending everyone flying back.

"Damn it!" They can hear John swear. "I lost her!" They suddenly hear a scream coming from down the only other exit from the cave, another tunnel.

"She's not going after her?" Shayera asks as they get up quickly.

"Then that means…" John continues.

"Luthor!" Batman finishes. "Flash get after her, stop her!"

"On it!" Flash says before blurring out of sight, the others quickly run and fly down the corridor.

"Superman, Raven's lost it down here, we are pursuing her deeper into the complex, get down here as fast as possible." Batman says into his communicator. Behind them a dog is barking. "It's Cerberus." Batman says without turning as they run, soon enough they are joined by the dog, now looking like a Doberman. They soon pass from the dirt tunnel and into one of concrete, at the border between the two area's they found the screamer, a mewing wide-eyed guard of Mexican heritage in a night camouflage uniform and the bits of his rifle that are spread over the corridor. They don't bother stopping for the man, the shaking is enough to tell he is alive.

"Flash, any luck?" John asks.

"_No, she's breaking everything she is passing, I can't get past her in here. Oh crap, Metallo up ahead!"_

"Flash?" John asks in alarm.

"_I'm fine, he's not. She's fused him to the wall! Hold up, I see a break! Hey Raven, slow down."_

"_Get lost Flash!"_ They can all hear the snap through their earpieces, as they begin running over the crumbled pieces of the corridor._ "She killed my kids on Luthor's order!"_

"_Don't do anything stupid Raven, even if it's fair."_ Flash cautions, having left the happy speedster part of him out of this. _"Whatever you do, it won't bring any of them back."_

"_I am going to beat that worthless sack of bones within an inch of his wasted life! Stay out of my way!"_

"_Hey…!"_ The line suddenly goes dead.

"Flash? Flash come in!" John shouts. "Damn it! Superman get down here and stop her!"

"_Make room, I'm coming through!"_ Superman says as they follow after Cerberus around a corner, spotting Metallo hanging on the wall at the far end of the short corridor with his mouth and chest plate fused shut as well, he looks scared judging from the look in his one human-looking eye.

Shayera lands to fold her wings together and runs with Batman and Nightwing. The group of runners is almost swept off their feet as a red and blue shape thunders past them, John is quick enough to increase his aura to surround them to prevent it happening.

It is a little known fact amongst the Leaguers, that Superman is the only one that's even close to matching the speeds the Flash family can achieve. But while the Flash's powers stem from a place called the Speed Force, a place the Flash's are connected to in some way. Batman has theorized that they carry some of it inside of them, which grants them their powers. This connection grants them their speed, but it also surrounds them with an aura of sorts that negate the effects of kinetic force, that would make them burst into flame if they move fast enough, and other ill effects moving at superspeed has. Also it prevents the Flashes from breaking everything they pass by, other than what they step on. There are limits to this, the faster he moves, the smaller the aura becomes and the surrounding area will be more affected because of it. Something that was proven when Flash ran circles around the globe to hit the Luthor-Brainiac fusion, there were many broken roads and cars left by that. Superman is different, where the Flash can be considered to pass through most particles in his way, Superman pushes them aside. Flash himself had noted this during one of the two's charity races. Moving at the speeds they did, Superman has an enormous momentum; that would take him several thousand kilometers of ground to slow down from, if he tripped that is. Also his momentum affects everything he passes by, as he usually flies, this is rarely noticed. But when forced to, Superman has been known to suck out windows of building and cars off the ground as he passes at speed; this is why he tries to stay above the skyline whenever possible.

"_Coming up on her now." _Superman says through the open channel. _"Hold it Raven! Where is Flash?"_

"_Azerath, he's fine. Don't make me send you there as well."_

"_Raven, I know you are angry, I heard what you said, god knows what I would do if it was me. But this isn't the answer!"_

"_Damn it I know that! But that bastard is going to pay!"_

"_Raven, we heard you aren't sure if you are a hero or not. Listen, the difference between us and them are defined by what we do, we will see horrible things done to those around us. But we have to set an example to those we protect, if we start dispensing judgment on our own, we become nothing more than tyrants."_

"_I am a demon of the highest order Superman, it is in my nature."_ Nightwing's heart almost freezes in fear at the acknowledgement, what she saw in Terra's mind may have driven Raven over the edge._ "Out of the way clown!" _A cry is heard from the other end.

"_Joker, he is alive." _Superman says calmly. _"You are only half demon and right now you are letting that part of you run the show, I've heard from Diana, Nightwing and Batman that you never let that part run off with you!"_

"_You are wrong, my anger is my slave, I control it, not the other way around!"_

"_You leave me no choice then, I'm sorry Raven." _Superman sighs as the group comes upon the crumbled form of the Joker lying on the ground. In the distance a dull boom and the screech of metal is heard.

"Hey, Batsy, you might want to send her on an anger management course. Heh heh." He tries to laugh, but the broken ribs in the right side of his chest are making it painful just to breathe. Shayera knocks him out with her mace as they pass by without slowing.

"Lex this is crazy!" Tala yells from her spot at the red circle drawn on the ground around a pit sunk into the ground. She is worried about the tremors that have begun shaking the complex.

"Keep going!" Luthor yells from behind the console he is standing at, overlooking the ritual. "They are close, I'm letting Doomsday out!"

"Yes, more uncontrollable juggernauts are what we need." Circe grumbles from the other side of the circle.

"Keep going, we are so close! We can't let them stop us now!" Lex replies.

The trio is in a large steel room, where every square inch of the surface has mystic symbols painted on them. There are only two features inside the room, a large pit in its center with the circle drawn around it, the space between the circle and the pit is the only area of the room that is left symbol free. Circe and Tala are standing on opposite ends of the circle, inside smaller circles that tangent the big one, both witches are in the midst of a ritual that they have spent the better part of a month preparing. The other feature is a small staircase that leads up to a walkway with the console Lex is standing at, wearing a sand colored jump suit and with black boots and two gun holsters at the side's of his chest. Tala is wearing her usual attire of a long black dress that hides her feet, but is open at the sides, leaving one leg visible most of the time from the hip down. The dress opens up at the top in a v revealing most of her upper chest, neck and shoulders, showing off the dagger-like tattoo. With the tall, spike shoulders and the large sleeves that usually leaves her lower arms exposed coupled with her almost white irises and long light-puple hair, Tala is practically screaming sorcerer with her appearance alone. Circe is little better, with her green knee high boots, long gloves that cover her arms, high skirt and tight lowcut one piece suit that leaves most of her tights and upper body visible. Add to this her pupil less blue eyes and violet hair, she wasn't hiding anything either.

"Raven stop this, it's only helping Luthor!" Superman says as he tangles with Raven, who has long since switched into demon mode, as they tumble down the corridors, crashing into the wall's, ceiling and floor as they push one another.

"You're the one who's slowing me down!" Raven growls as she forces his back to grind against the wall, tearing chunks out of it. "Release me and I will solve a lot of your problems!"

"I can't let you kill him." Superman continues, returning the favor by pushing Raven against the ceiling.

"Who said I was going to kill him?" Raven asks, before pushing back, causing the two roll along the floor before returning to the air.

For all of the changes that have happened to Raven over the last months, Superman is still physically superior. But Raven knows this and relies more on enhancing her own abilities through magic, Superman's other kryptonite. For now, the two appear equal.

"We can't risk you doing it accidentally. You will have our word, they will all go to jail for this, but we have to bring him in alive and in one piece!"

"Reducing him to a weeping imbecile fulfills both requirements!" Raven snaps as she dodges under Superman's swing.

"Damnit Raven, this is the sort of thing Etrigan cooks up when he's in a bad mood!" Superman says sternly as her grabs hold of her upper arms.

"Tell me Superman, how will you be when you find Lois' bleeding corpse somewhere with a note on her as to who did it!?" Superman suddenly has a very vivid image of that scenario.

"Don't do that!" Superman warns as his eyes begin glowing red, knowing where the image came from.

"Make me, Boy Scout!" Raven snaps back, while her own eyes glow brighter.

The two lock eyes for long agonizing seconds, knowing there will be no going back if either of them makes a wrong move. Their focus is fully on each other so neither of them notices they are coming to an end of the long corridor, where a large pair of steel sliding doors waits for them. Luck would have it they both ram their heads into it at the same time before they break it apart as they come through. The surprise with the sudden contact, the two crashes to the floor with Superman's back digging a long gash into it. Raven, being the more agile of the two, end up using Superman as a springboard to do a back flip over him to land on her feet. The two are instantly back to facing each other, with a few meters between them, Superman with his back to the door, and Raven with hers to the rest of the room.

The room itself is a large and steel walled, with another pair of double doors at the far end, with two red blinking warning lights on either side of it, the two doesn't pay it any attention.

"Luthor is laughing at us now you know?" Superman asks without breaking eye contact.

"You never answered the question, what would you do?" Raven counters.

"Wouldn't know, hopefully I will never find out." Superman finally replies.

"Then don't you dare telling me how to feel about this!" Raven snaps back at him.

"I am not saying that you shouldn't be angry or anything, actually I think you have every right to feel whatever you like about it. But is it standard police procedure to not involve any one on the force with previous connections to a case like this. Think about it Raven, you know why that is." Superman implores without relaxing, Raven continues to stare holes into him for a full minute.

"Damn you, damn you to hell Superman, I do." She sighs deeply as she gradually lowers her gaze before she sinks to her hands and knees as her demonic half evaporates like mist in the sun.

Superman relaxes somewhat before he noticed she begins crying again, it begins with her shoulders shaking lightly before a loud sob, leading over into the choked crying of one that didn't want to, but couldn't stop. This disarms the rest of Superman's tensed stance and he walks over to go down on one knee before putting a hand on her shoulder for comfort. He is surprised when she wraps her arms around him tightly and begins crying fully into his shoulder. "Why them?!" She sobs.

"I don't know Raven, I really don't." He replies softly as he returns the hug with a gentle one of his own, admitting, even in her human guise, Raven is quite strong. The others find them like this a moment later. "Raven, we need to go, bring back Wally and you can go to the surface, you don't have to be a part of this."

"I have to." Raven says as she trie to dry her eyes. "Terra didn't know the details, but Luthor wants to regain his 'lost godhood' as he called it."

"He is trying to bring back Brainiac again." Batman surmises.

"Maybe, I don't know for sure. But there is another reason, unless you have caught them, Tala and Circe are down here as well." Raven continues as she gets up to dry her eyes, the others notice her eyes are red and puffy.

"We should call Dr. Fate." Shayera mentions.

"We don't have the time, Raven, bring Flash back." John commands, Raven nods slowly before breathing deeply to focus on the task. Her body turns completely black as she takes on the silhouette shape of a large shadowy bird. Flash thunders out of the black shape, halting just before he collides with a wall. Raven maintains the form for a few seconds before she solidifies, now wearing her blue cloak over the armor, which makes her look a bit bulky, but she needed the comfort it provides her.

"Get some heat in that place." Flash pants as his breath continues to fog.

"Dead dimension, sorry."

"Raven, you know where Luthor is now?" Batman asks.

"Beyond that door is another room like this one and a three corridors, the one on the far left leads to his Lab and the Pen's as Terra calls them, the one on the right leads to his, Tala's and Circe's personal quarters, down the central one Terra suspects is where the action will happen, but she has never been there." Raven explains.

"John." Batman nods at the door; Green Lantern nods in reply and begins charging up his ring. Raven suddenly receives a feeling of incredible anger.

"WAIT!" Raven shouts too late as a massive green sledgehammer smashes the doors apart. The broken doors are almost immediately shoved back into room by two huge grey hands, before the massive form of the owner rushes out to the sound of an ear shattering roar. Superman is quick to intercept the grey behemoth

"GO! Get Luthor, I will deal with this!" Superman says with a strained voice as he grapples with the creature.

"John, help him, we will deal with Luthor!" Batman commands. "Follow me!" He yells to the others before running into the other room, closely followed by the others.

"I could help them!" Raven mentions, part of her agrees with the others and being around Luthor now and another part of her wants to atone for the way she behaved, and that thing could have provided an excellent anger-reliever.

"They will handle Doomsday, neither Tala or Circe have been seen yet, we need you here." Batman continues as they enter the corridor. "Flash, scout ahead but be careful, Luthor is expecting us."

"Going." Flash says before pulling ahead in a crimson and yellow line before he appears before them again. "Way is clear of anything, but a big steel door is blocking the path. No halls or anything that leads anywhere else, nothing visible that is. Here we are." The man continues as they round a corner, coming face to face with the aforementioned door.

"This is my part." Shayera says as she pushes to the front, hefting her mace as energy begins coursing through its head. "Knock knock! HA!" She yells as she strikes, getting only a dull boom for her efforts. "Huh?"

"Promethium most likely, virtually indestructible. Raven, can you open it?" Batman says after taking a look at the single scratch Shayeara managed.

"Hold on." Raven says as she lets her palms on the door while searching for something. "I can't open it; it's being used in a ritual on the other side. But I can get us through it; it isn't warded against dimensional entry. Stand close and be ready!" She says as she turns to them, it is a credit to Flash's and Hawkgirl's professionalism that they don't even question her before they clump together.

"Go." Batman says as he notices Raven hesitating for a second, she nods before her form is engulfed by her expanding shadow, but leaves Cerberus behind.

As the group is engulfed by it as well, they all have a feeling of sudden cold and darkness before the light returns. They find themselves before the door and inside a large room where every surface is crawling with mystic symbols.

"Batman, how predictable." Lex Luthor says calmly from behind the console. "I see you brought friends along with you this time."Hawkgirl, Flash I know of course. Nightwing, I've heard a lot about you. And you, troublesome Amazon, would have preferred you not molest my associates to the degree you have." He greets each in turn.

"It's over Luthor." Batman growls as Nightwing puts a hand on Raven's shoulder, not knowing if she would leap at him, Luthor only chuckles as a reply.

"On the contrary Batman, you are too late; the ritual is complete, now we only have to wait for my inevitable godhood." Luthor smirks at the group. "But I am afraid that you won't have the opportunity to kneel before me; ladies, take your pick." He says as a group of women; that had gone unnoticed till now, walks closer.

Besides Tala and Circe, they are Silver Banshee, bearer of an Irish curse that has transformed her into something inhuman. Her hair is white with black stripes in it; most of her skin appears to be completely black where not covered by her long white gloves, boots and the skimpy suit covering her body. Her face is the scariest part of her to look at, as her skull is depicted onto it with black areas highlighting her completely white eyes.

Star Sapphire a short woman in a black leotard, similar to Raven's old one, that matches her long hair. Also she is wearing deep pink gloves that reach up to her elbows and tight high boot in a similar color, the color is repeated on the triangle design on her upper chest and the large mask with pointed ears that covers the upper half of her face and houses the source of her powers, the small gem on her forehead.

And Fatality, Vegan warrior who once trained with the Warlords of Okaara, but turned mercenary when she heard her home world of Xanashi had been destroyed. She is tall, brown skinned and with long curly hair that mostly hides her pointed ears, but never covers her piercing green eyes. She is wearing a skin tight white, green and black jump suit that leaves her arms and shoulders free. Most of her arms seem to be covered by a thin metallic fabric, quite unlike the bulky metallic-green boots that reach up past her knees. She is gripping a large pole axe in her right hand.

"Raven, get Tala. Nightwing, Banshee. Hawkgirl, Fatality, Flash get Sapphire." Batman whispers to the others, leaving himself to deal with Circe before he runs to intercept his target. The others move to comply.

"Why if it isn't Diana's pointy-eared boyfriend? How is the Amazon?" Circe smirks as she notes Batman singling her out. "Perhaps she would like a pet bat to keep her company?"

"Ndbc sosfa aocx ix x afeowxjc ll." Batman mutters just within earshot of her.

"What? I couldn't hear that." Circe raises an eyebrow at him. "Oh well, I hope you don't have any transmittable diseases." She continues as she raises her hands. "What? What did you do?!" She asks in shock as her powers fail to manifest, Batman just smirks as he moves closer.

"Stand still, will you?!" Sapphire asks from the air as yet another of her pink bolts fail to hit the fastest man alive.

"Yeah, I'll do just that." Flash replies as he runs trying to figure out a way to bring the woman within striking distance.

"You have no chance against me!" Fatality boasts as her weapon collides with Shayera's mace.

"I'd be rich if I had a penny for every time I've heard that." Hawkgirl replies as she twist to the right, out of the path of the arrested axe, letting it slide down and over her mace head before she swings her weapon to the side, in an attempt to hit Fatality from the side. The handle just below the head is blocked by Fatality's lower arm; the woman doesn't even flinch or strain at the action.

"If you were rich, I hope you have paid for a lovely funeral." Fatality growls before pushing the mace back.

"You're Siobhan McDougal, aren't you?" Nightwing ask as he squares off against the banshee.

"I'm flattered you know my name." The creature replies in a dry husky voice that wouldn't be out of place if coming from a ghost, also it touches Nightwing in a way he knows is not normally touched, through his very soul. "But is it fair I do not know yours?"

"Chick's dig the whole secret identity thing." Nightwing smirks, he already has a battle plan for this, he can't beat her physically, as she is usually one of Superman's headaches, but her physical capabilities is not what she is best known for; the Banshee Cry is. Like Black Canary, Silver Banshee can attack with a sonic scream that can tear steel apart, unlike Canary's Banshee's cry is rooted in the mystical. If used on a person, the victim will be rapidly aged, if not killed outright. If Banshee knows the true name of the victim, death is assured. Superman has described the scream as like having ten atomic bombs going off inside your head. Right now, Nightwing just has to maneuver her so the scream doesn't hit anyone else.

"What are you doing here succubus?" Raven asks in a flat tone as she and Tala engage in a staring contest, waiting for one to draw.

"How perceptive, it took Lex several weeks to realize what I am." Tala smirks as she gathers pale pink energies around her hands. "You reek of evil magic yourself, are you the Amazon's ill-fated magician Circe spoke of?"

"No." Raven says, guessing that giving the demon any information could prove troubling in the future, while letting her own energies form, but forcing it to remain hidden. "What are you summoning?"

"You won't be around to see it." Tala says as she fires a beam of energy at Raven, who dodges a side, letting the bolt explode against the door. "So you are fast, let's see how fast." Tala says while sending more bolts at Raven, who dodges all but one that makes her vanish in a smoke cloud. "Not fast enough." Tala smirks confidently as the smoke clears, revealing Raven standing with a black aura covering her while she is crossing her lower arms in front of her as a shield. "Oh."

"That tickled." Raven says as she floats a little over the floor while lowering her arms to her sides, letting her powers manifest around her hands like black electrical spheres. Tala almost doesn't have time to bring up a transparent shield before her as a huge black bolt is shot at her. Tala strains against the tide while holding up both hands before she gathers her thoughts and teleports herself to the side.

"Chaos magic, with the scent of a dragon and something else, something dark." She surmises, tasting Raven's magic like a fine wine. "This is proving interesting."

"What did you do to me?!" Circe asks outraged that her power are gone, but backing away from Batman nonetheless, while a dull boom is heard from far off as something in the pit begins to glow green.

"A small trick I was once taught." Batman replies. "What are you trying to do Circe, you least of all will bend to the will of a man like Luthor?"

"The offer was too good to refuse." The woman replies. "Imagine me having the entire Island of Themyscira as my playground." Batman begins to suspect that the others have similar arrangements made. "All I have to do is make the bald fool a god."

"Flash, what do you say to switching?" Shayera asks as she grudgingly admits she isn't a match for Fatality, having avoided getting beheaded while yet to land a blow herself.

"Good call." Flash says as he appears next to Shayera as she takes off to engage Star Sapphire. "Hi there."

"You are no match for me human." Fatality growls again at the smiling man in red before swinging her weapon in a broad arch, aiming to remove Flash's head. Wally just keeps smiling as the blade seemingly passes through him without injury. "What trickery is this?!" She almost shouts at him.

"You're just too slow." He replies, still smiling while his from begins to blur with motion. "Let me show you." He continues, Fatality is dropped on the ground by a blow to both of her back knee joints, she barely hits the ground before she is treated to a virtual storm of fists that ram into her, she doesn't get up when he stops two seconds later, her mind shuts down after five. "250 hits, don't feel too bad." He smiles at her.

"Oh, not you again." Sapphire sighs as Hawkgirl charges her with her mace raised.

"You sound disappointed. HAH!" Shayera replies as she strikes the pink bubble surrounding the other woman to the sound of a dull boom.

"I was hoping for Batman." Sapphire replies as she fires a bolt that gets sent back at her due to Shayera treating it like a baseball. The reentering bolt passes through the barrier and makes Sapphires head snap back at the impact. "That hurt!" She growls.

"Not as much as this will." Shayera says as she charges again, Sapphire will feel the impacts this time, as her extended shield has disappeared, leaving the woman with the thin layer surrounding her body. Three strikes later, one parried by an arm, one impacted on a leg and the last striking her temple, and Star Sapphire is falling to the ground unconscious.

"I hear you have a lovely singing voice?" Nightwing continues baiting the Banshee as he has circled around her to have his back against the wall.

"You flatter me, such a pity I will have to kill you." The creature replies, the smile she is sporting is mostly lost as her facial coloration is black at the edges of her mouth.

"Well, I imagine there are worse ways to go." Nightwing continues, having long since palmed the device he intends to use.

"There isn't." The banshee continues. "Hear my cry." As she opens her mouth to unleash her scream, Nightwing throws his weapon, a very small brown ball. As it enters her mouth, it explodes and expands till it's it stretching Banshee's jaw to the breaking point. Nightwing would have made a one liner at this point as he thinks the look of surprise on Banshee's face is pure gold.

"Shit!" He mutters as Banshee's look of surprise is turned to horror as she clutches her throat with both hands while her chest frantically moves in and out in a failing attempt to draw fresh breath.

According to mythology, banshees could be old crones or spirits, but Silver Banshee is still very much a living creature, now suffocating with the mass having moved into the back of her throat. Nightwing rushes to her side as she falls to the ground, getting the powerful creature to hold still is difficult as she thrashes about. "Hold still." He says while pulling out a small spray can the size of a finger. "Hold still, damnit!" He swears as she continues thrashing. Seeing an opening he puts her into a headlock with one arm as he forces the head of the can into her mouth before spraying. The mass in her mouth quickly dissolves even as she stills her movements; the lack of air is killing her. Pulling out the container, Nightwing does the first thing he needs to do, clear out her throat of the lump still there, and force two fingers into her mouth, triggering the gag reflex. Banshee flips over onto her stomach with Nightwing still holding onto her back, as she hurls the liquefied mass and the rest of her stomach contents onto the floor, which isn't much. Drawing frantic breaths as Nightwing gets off her, pulling out another can.

"You…men…are…all the same…" Banshee heaves, it almost hurts Nightwing as he administers the sleeping gas to her. He knows her history, she is a victim of a family curse, unfortunately her transformation has made her vengeful and instead of seeking aid, she has dedicated her life to finding a cure and avenging herself on her family for subjecting her to the curse of the banshee.

The McDougal clan has a long history of association with the curse of the Banshee, one of every generation must carry it, normally it is voluntary, the vain Siobhan was the unfortunate victim of clan politics and forced to become the banshee against her wishes. The banshee would usually serve as an advisor to the clan in matters mystical, disfigured but otherwise treated with great respect by the clan. Siobhan was too horrified when she saw herself for the first time, moments after the ritual, that when the clan head came and asked for her services as per tradition, she killed him and everyone involved in the ritual with a single scream. The clan scattered to the four corners of the Earth after the event, going into hiding from the vengeful creature it had created.

"Last chance succubus; tell me what you are summoning or I will do something even your kind won't like." Raven warns as she deflects another blast, sending it into the ceiling.

"Why should I? I haven't had this kind of fun in ages." Tala smiles back as she gathers energy for a blast more. "Not like you have hurt me yet."

"I gave you the option." Raven replies flatly before vanishing.

"Hrk!" Tala suddenly finds herself in a headlock as Raven has appeared behind her. "Let go!" She manages, before something begins tickling at the back of her head. "No!...Stay out!" She continues as she realizes what Raven is doing.

"No, you will surrender the knowledge I want." Raven replies while grinding her teeth and pushes on.

"Stay out!" Tala yells as she gathers energy that shoots out behind her as pink lightning.

"GRRRR!" Raven growls as she bites down on the pain as she transforms to absorb the next attack. Neither of them notices that Flash is watching them; he knows that he shouldn't try to take on Luthor alone, as Shayera has moved over to put more pressure on Circe. Tala screams as she feels her last mental block being pushed down by the force of Raven's mind.


	32. Monsters Ball pt 9: To Follow a Stranger

Again Raven sees another world as she manifests her shape inside Tala's mind. It is a strange place with a white sky and black ground. In the sky, several floating castles can be seen on rocks of various sizes. In the ground there are several fiery pits where small figures are tossing each other into them.

"You should not have come here." Tala's annoyed voice sounds from around Raven as the scenery changes drastically.

Raven suddenly finds herself on her knees in an old fashioned dungeon with sand on the floor and with something that feels like a bag restraining her arms and hands behind her back. As she looks up she sees a woman that looks like Tala, at least her face does share the semblance to hers. But this one has two horns curling over her head, a long forked tongue this is licking her right eye and pointed teeth. Her back has a pair of bat wings folded on them and pointed tail worms around on the ground behind her. The most extreme change in her however is her legs that are like the hind legs of some kind of cloven animal, they maintain the height of Tala, but if she stretched them, she would be much taller. The thing is wearing almost nothing, being limited to what looks like a leather bra and panties and a whip of the same material is being curled in her hands. All of this is unsurprising to Raven, she knows that succubi are temptresses, that they prey on the desires of mortals, urging them to indulge themselves with the demon before they are damned and dragged off into the creatures realm as a new plaything. This is just what they do when they get something new to play with. Raven had studied demonology, the lore of demons, since Azar started teaching her. Learning about what she is and what that means, Raven knows a great deal about demons. The many casts and levels of infernal hierarchy, their purposes and methods and the notable names of the fiends that don't confine themselves to the infernal realms; names like those of Tala and Etrigan.

"Now then, I, High Mistress Tala of the Greater Pit, want to know everything from you, strange one." Tala says as she forces Raven to look up at her by pushing the whip up under her chin. Again, the question is predictable, Raven knows succubi are limited mind readers; their nature limits them to only read the parts of a mind that hides the hidden desires. Actually that thought is a bit disturbing to Raven; this setting might not be Tala's choosing at all, it could be her own. She quickly forced the thought aside, it was distracting and not worth considering. "Let us start with what you are, shall we?" Tala says while uncurling the whip, Raven guesses she is looking at Tala's true form, the one she wears when at home. "Do feel free to scream it." Tala smirks.

"Nay, there is no time for this." A man's voice says suddenly before Raven can reply, they both turn their heads in surprise at the source of the voice. Seeing a man in a black formal looking suit with a large blue coat hanging over his shoulders and a blue hat on his head, the broad shade casts his upper face in absolute shadow, but lets his eyes shine white from within it, the face beneath the shadow is clean shaven and gaunt. Around his neck he carries a large circular amulet made of bronze and inscribed with many symbols.

"Stranger? What are you doing here?" Raven asks in recognition.

This was the man she spent six months looking for, after her flight from Jump City. Searching for is a wrong term to use for what Raven did, she merely wandered and hoped she would encounter him by chance. She knew then, that he was one of the few she could turn to for aid in her quest for a cure to her image, without the League or anyone else knowing about it. She was certain that if she had showed up and asked for help from anyone else, she would be denied before being forced to flee. Searching deliberately for this man however is pointless, since he has no name, or none he has ever told anyone, no home or way of actually contacting him from afar. He would encounter you if he deemed you worthy of his attention and offer the assistance he could before disappearing again if it served his unknowable purpose.

He came to Raven when she was wandering in the jungles of Asia, while she was having a rest at a small stream. After Raven had made her plea, he had given her the necessary clues she needed to work it out on her own before he vanished again. Back then it had saddened Raven a little; he was the first person that had talked to her in her demon shape without any fear or anger. She has since understood, this is simply how he works. He appears, leaves the necessary clues for one to solve the riddle themselves and then he leaves again.

Tala hisses at him. "You have no business here Stanger!" The man ignores her as he looks at Raven.

"Daughter of Trigon, will you follow a Stanger?" He asks.

"You?!" Tala asks in disbelief as she stares at Raven. "But that would mean…" She trails off as Raven stands up and snaps off the bag around her arms as if it had been made of paper.

"Means I am holding back most of the time." Raven replies before turning to the Stranger. "I am not done here Stranger. She is involved in a ritual of summoning something supposedly godlike for nefarious purposes."

"It is why I have come." The Stranger replies. "All will be made clearer if you follow." Raven seems to think for a second before replying.

"I will follow." She replies, during her stays at Dr. Fate, he had let slip that the Stranger only asked when the need was dire after Raven had told him and Inza about her encounter, which had made her wonder why he appeared to assist her in the first place, it was after all a cosmetic problem at best.

"Good, we will need one more." The Stranger says as he spreads his coat and the two are swept away by a storm wind, leaving the miffed Tala behind.

As they appear back in the real world, they are met by a few stares, mostly directed at the Stanger who just appears next to Raven, who has remained frozen in place with Tala for the last half minute. The Stanger doesn't even bother looking at Flash or Hawkgirl, instead he walks in a bee line towards Nightwing who is standing before the fallen Banshee. Batman has cornered Circe and is about to pacify her, when he notices the Stranger. Lex is staring dreamily off into the distance from his podium, and is apparently not even seeing him or any of the others. The sound of battle between Superman, Green Lantern and Doomsday can still be heard.

"It is that bad." Batman notes dryly as the man passes by him.

"There is still hope. Will you follow a Stranger?" He asks Nightwing who looks at him in confusion, in the background Raven thumps Tala on the top of her head, dropping her on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Noticing who he has singled out, she quickly nods as she spots the confusion written on his face, something he notices.

"Umm, sure." Nightwing replies.

"Because the Phantom Stranger chooses to appear, means it's bad." Batman says before sending one booted foot flying into Circe's jaw, sending her to the floor.

"Raven, stand close." The Stanger instructs and Raven hurries over to stand beside him as he spreads his cloak again, disappearing with the two again.

"Uh Bats, why are we suddenly missing two of our guys?" Flash asks.

"No time, get Luthor!" Batman commands as he notices how much the glow in the pit has increased.

"How are you holding up?" John asks as he pushes Superman out of the way of the descending fist with a beam of light.

"Never felt better." Superman replies sarcastically, both he and John are a long way from being ok. Doomsdays relentless assault has left them with many blue and red bruises. The creature itself seems like it has just arrived as any damage the pair has tried to inflict so far, has been shrugged off or healed up. To Superman, this is like a bad memory. Doomsday isn't talking beyond the roaring, but he seems even tougher than the last time he fought him.

"Any ideas on how to stop this thing?" John asks, wondering if he should just resign himself to helping Superman as his ring has made no impact on the creature and the time he tried restraining it, was met with failure.

"We could bury him?" Superman suggest as he dodges another blow as they circle around the grey beast.

"Worth a shot." Superman immediately begins flying around Doomsday at a speed that seems to suck out the air of the rooms the trio has demolished in their fight. Moving closer, Superman grabs hold of Doomsdays right arm and forces it to follow him as he starts pushing downwards, using Doomsday as a huge drill head.

"Interesting place." Nightwing notes as he takes in his surroundings, the three of them are walking in mid air between two rows of wooden doors. The background can best be described as the sky of a distant planet with its mix of orange and red parts with streaks of purple and black running across it.

"This is the In-Between, one can go anywhere from here." The Stranger says from up front.

"Dimensional doorways." Raven adds. "Stranger, what are we doing here?" She asks, still having received no explanation as to why they are here.

"The ritual Luthor has completed serves several purposes, summoning the entity is only part of it, it is also splitting the entity in two and binding one half of it to Luthor while making it all unstoppable. You have not seen it, but Luthors body is inscribed with symbols to hold the entity and to grant him usage of its powers."

"You still haven't told us; what he is summoning." Nightwing continues.

"He is summoning God's Spirit of Vengeance Nightwing; The Spectre." Raven blinks a few times behind the Strangers back making sure she heard that one right.

"Can he even do that?" She asks.

"He has already done so; this is why I need you." The Stranger says as he stops by a door and turns to face them.

"What's the Spectre?" Nightwing asks.

"I will tell you later, but you only need to know that its Trigon levels of bad." Raven says.

"Unfortunately it is true. Nightwing, I need you to go find a certain man by the name of Crispus Allen and return him to the Spectre, the two are supposed to be one, but Luthor's ritual has cast him out of the Spectre. You will know what he looks like." The Stranger says as he opens the door, revealing the other side to be in some dark alleyway.

"Anything I should know I about him?" Nightwing asks, not having anything other than a name to go on.

"He will be the only one who can see you, and he will stand out in a crowd." The Stranger says while holding the door open.

"Ok, in a go." Nightwing says as he takes a step forwards only to be halted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, this will help you find us again." Raven says as he turns to her before putting her other hand on his forehead. Nightwing feels a slight tingling in his head before a familiar feeling come over him. _"The bond is restored."_ Raven smiles at him.

"I kinda missed that, good luck Rae." He says with a smile as he walks through the door.

"You too Richard." Is the last he hears before the door shuts behind him. "So, what is my part?

"I need you to fight Luthor from the inside, keep him from using the Spectre long enough for Nightwing to bring back Allen." The Stranger says as he begins walking again.

"By bringing me here, I assume you have a good idea how I am supposed to do that?" Raven asks as she follows, ignoring Timid, who on the inside is warning her about the risks of such an undertaking. As she had read, the Spectre only chooses its host from amongst the dead, Luthor may have found a way around that, but she has not.

"Your body and soul will have to separate, but something more will be needed. You have to separate the demon from your human soul." Raven freezes on the spot as he says this. "I will perform the rite needed and keep the demon at bay."

"You mean to kill me, then tear me apart?!" Raven asks in outrage, this separation could undo years of her carefully hoarded control over herself, providing she could return to life that is.

"Unfortunately, yes." The Stanger confirms. "I cannot guarantee anything Raven, but I would not ask you for such a sacrifice unless I had no other choice. The Spectre must not be controlled by any other than the chosen host, if left with Luthor, reality itself is at jeopardy." He says as he turns to look her in the eyes, a very human gesture, but pointless since no one has ever seen his eyes outside the shadows, and neither does she.

On the inside, Raven is at war with herself, many of her emotions are giving her all sorts of reasons that she should walk away, why she shouldn't have to die for this. Others are giving her many reasons why she should. She tunes them all out in favor of the reply from a single voice, one that is not even her own.

"_Mom, I may be going away now and I am not sure what will happen then."_

"_I know my child, we will pray for your soul's return." _Arella replies with heavy sadness in her voice. _"Go my child, and do what you were truly born to do."_ She finishes.

"Just be ready to tell people why I may never come back Stranger." Raven says with her mind clear, it has taken less that a second, she will do what is needed to save this world no matter what it may cost her. The only regret she has is that she won't have a chance to say goodbye.

"_Rae, what's wrong?"_ Raven swears in the back of her mind, she had gotten so used to not having Richard at the other end of the bond. He must have noticed the emotions she was giving off.

"_Just be prepared for the bond to go a little weird in a short while, and that I may not be replying."_ Raven sends back, not having the courage to tell him what she has to do.

"_Got it, be careful."_ Raven smiles sadly to herself, it was tragically funny that he said that.

"I will if that proves necessary." He nods. "Come, we don't have much time." He says as he opens a door and enters, with Raven in tow. At the sight of the location, Raven immediately begins probing the Stranger for any signs of deceit; they are at the Temple of Scath, still a ruined hole in the ground it had been since Trigons banishment. "This place is a nexus of ley-lines, it is the only place for thousands of miles we can do this, I apologies if this brings back unpleasant memories." The Stanger speaks without turning.

"I had just hoped for a different setting in case this will be the last I see of this world." Raven sighs coming up blank, the Stranger is unreadable.

"Alas, as you know, the mystic energies that gather here never make for cheerful settings." He says as he stops at the edge of the pit that once lead into Trigons realm, now a shallow hole filled with gravel. "The focal point is up there." He points into the air over the pit, Raven knows why and focuses on the surrounding rubble, piece by piece, the massive stone hand that once served as the alter of the temple assembles itself till it stands whole again. The two fly to stand in the palm. "Lie down here." The Stanger indicates at the center of the palm, Raven does so wordlessly, but floats above the ground.

"Make it painless, will you?" She asks while relaxing.

"I will. Close your eyes." He says, Raven sighs deeply and closes her eyes slowly to the sound of The Stanger chanting softly. In her mind Raven says her goodbyes to the constructs of those close to her, the Titans, the Amazons, and the League, even the Birds of Prey, saving the hard ones for last, Diana, Alfred, Bruce and especially Richard. Around her the Stranger gathers the energies needed as he slowly traces his hands over her body, slowly she begins feeling a little cold and light headed as her heart rate slows gradually, till it freezes its beating.

"_Rae?"_ Nightwing asks as he feels a sudden cold and a little fear and sadness within his mind, but he receives no reply, but he can still sense her presence. Sighing he returns to his mission. He quickly confirmed, he is in a shadowy version of Gotham City, on some rooftop on the East Side overlooking a street. There are people there, but they are all silent shadows with no defining features at all. There are even a few shadowy cars moving down the street. He doesn't know if this is the real Gotham seen through a lens or a magical construct of some kind.

"How am I supposed to find a single man in a city with several million inhabitants?" He asks out loud, annoyed he had such a huge area to cover and virtually no time to do it in.

"Crispus Allen was once a respected detective on the Gotham Police Force, till his corrupt partner murdered him out of fear." The Stanger's voice speaks from around Nightwing. "The lingering dead usually stay near places that had meaning to them in life." Nightwing thinks about the information for a second before firing a grappling hook at the roof across the street, from its launcher hidden in his costumes right arm. His mind having understood where he needs to go, the East Side Central Station, if Allan is not there, records about him will. Ever since the vicious gang war that claimed Tim Drakes parents, the polices had stored all of their information at several sites since North Central was the victim of a car bomb that claimed the station, much of its staff and the archive housed there, costing the survivors their pension. After the gang war abated, the police had gone on strike to force the city to make sure the officers were compensated for and to assure that it could not happen again.

"Give up Lex, we have you cornered." Hawkgirl says as the three heroes has him backing up against the wall behind his podium while he is smiling knowingly at them. Behind them the glow is growing faster and faster in intensity, lighting up the room on its own.

"Whatever you are doing, it won't help you now." Flash continues. In the light, they can't see that Lex is gradually growing paler along with the rising intensity of the light behind them.

"Actually it is you who are helpless." He says before doing an impressive flip far over Batman's head, landing graciously at the console after completing one somersault.

"Ok, that was unexpected." Flash adds.

"Get him!" Batman commands, realizing that Lex is already growing in power, the man is well built but he was never an acrobat. The three rush Lex at the instant at the command, Lex just smirks at them.

"Away with you." With a wave of his hand, they group is sent flying backwards into the wall that folds around them, restraining them. "Although I was hoping for a different audience for this, but at least you will have the honor of being the first to see your new god." He says before turning his back to them in favor of the light behind him, the heroes have a hard time actually seeing anything. "I wonder what that fool hoped to accomplish by taking away the Amazon and Nightwing?" He muse's out loud. "No matter, I will know soon enough." He continues as he watches, behind him the heroes are struggling to free themselves from the wall, finding it impossible, even Flash cant vibrate out of it. "It is time." Lex sighs in relief as the light seems to dim somewhat and take on a shape of a huge blob. The light continues to dim and the blob forms a more humanoid appearance as Lex takes off his shirt, revealing the many symbols tattooed onto his body. "Come to me." Lex says as he raises his arms to the light. The dimming continues as the apparition gains a solid look to it, before the light disappears completely, leaving a man with milk white skin that is as tall as the room, 20 meters easily, he Is wearing a pair of green boots and gloves along with a pair of green trunks and a long cape and hood that hides the upper half of his face, except for this glowing green eyes. The thing looks displeased to being here.

"Blasphemer!" The thing heaves as is looks at Lex before seemingly coming apart in a shower of white and green flakes that rush towards Lex. Lex is lifted off the ground as he is surrounded by a howling whirlwind of flakes gently carrying him over the pit.

"Yes. YES!" Lex yells as the flakes begin attaching themselves to him sinking into his skin. The howling picks up in volume as the wall finally gives up its hold, releasing the heroes. Batman immediately gives up trying to issue a command when he notices the flakes tearing out pieces of the steel console as they pass it.

"Stanger, whatever you are doing. Do it fast." Batman mutters under his breath as the hurricane before them seems to swing inwards into a stream that forces itself into Lex Luthors body. In a flash of light it is all over, Lex is still there, hovering over the pit. He hasn't changed noticeably, other than his skin has become a little paler, making him look merely un-tanned when compared to his usual complexion. He turns to face them before opening his eyes, revealing them to be glowing green orbs instead of his usual brown.

He breathes in heavily before speaking. "It is a new day, in a new world…MY world." He smirks.


	33. Monsters Ball pt 10: By the Power of God

"I never hoped to see this." Raven notes, looking down at her own still form now lying in the palm of the stone hand; she looks so peaceful, like she was just sleeping. One that is not so peaceful however, is the screaming hateful thing the Stranger has sealed inside a huge glass sphere now standing next to her body, it's the thing Raven keeps buried and restrained within herself; the Demon. It doesn't look different from her body as it is now save the four eyes, neither of them has the armor, Raven wonders why. A small mercy is that her spirit looks like her old self, except for the fact that she is a pale white ghost.

"It can't, it doesn't have the presence of mind for the full change, it needs the rest of you to do it. I will keep them both safe, but you need to go now." The Stranger explains.

"Anything helpful you want to tell me about before I go?" Raven asks.

"Only that the Spectre is seething with anger at the violation it has been put through." He answers as he makes a glowing doorway appear. "Good luck." He says as he holds the door open for her, revealing a starlit dark sky on the other side reminiscent of the night that is now leaving before the dawn coming upon this part of the world.

"Luck can't be expected." Raven replies flatly as she steps through the doorway. She almost feels like she is being carried by a storm wind as she leaves the waking world behind, getting tossed along by the violent turbulence she tumbles ever deeper into this dark void before she gets the hang of it and resorts to float along spotting a small star in the distance she is headed towards. Far behind her, the Stranger closes the door and turns to his charges.

"Fool, you cannot keep me here!" The Demon sneers, giving him a vicious grin.

"I will keep you, till your other half proves successful." He replies as he levitates both body and glass prison off the ground to have them float after him as he walks down the staircase while the hand slowly comes apart as Raven's will leaves it.

"She will fail, she is weak, pathetic! I am the one with all the power she draws from!" The demon continues. "I should thank you really, by killing her and separating us, you have saved me years of work to erode that pathetic human part of me. When I get out, I shall thank you properly and devour you spine!"

"Your boasting is quite wasted on me demon, I know what is real and what is merely your fantasy. Your better half does not need you or want you for the powers you possess, she has her own. I speculate that she has you and your influence so utterly under control, that you fear her, more than any other, including your late master." The Stranger replies.

"Trigon will live again! I swear that he will! And I will devour you Stranger, before your dying eyes I will!" The Demon rages.

"Ahh, the young ones and their temper tantrums." Apollyon says from within the sword, sounding amused.

"Silence minion! You failure will be dealt with in time and so shall your betrayal by bowing to that worthless human!" The Demon continues.

"The emptiest barrels make the loudest racket." Apollyon replies, still sounding amused. "I do not fear you, half creature, as you are; you are no threat to me, much less the Stranger. And it is not the Mistress that is the weak one; you are. You failed the Masters order to bending a mere human to our nature. Revive the Master and death will be a blessing for what your failures will reap." He continues as the Stranger opens a new portal back into the dimensional hallway. He ignores the two as he crosses it to another door.

Emerging from the door, he stands in a familiar setting to the Demon; the room Dr. Fate almost set it free. There is a group of people waiting here, Dr. Fate, Amazo, Aquaman, Jason Blood and a man with pure white skin, wings and golden armor. This is Zauriel, once a member of Heaven's armies, but he desired a mortal woman and left Heaven behind, now serving occasionally as a hero in Los Angeles, when needed.

"I would ask you to explain this Stranger." Fate says as he spots the two Raven's behind the latest arrival.

"Her heart is still, I detect no bodily activity." The android continues as he looks at the corpse, ignoring the demon in the bottle.

"What have you done this time Stranger?" Aquaman asks, startled at the information.

"I have done what was necessary for Raven to have a chance of accomplishing the task I asked of her." The Stranger replies calmly.

"By killing her?!" Aquaman continues angrily.

"I have. For her to have a chance of success, she had to be separated from this." The Stanger continues while motioning at the bottle. Both Zauriel and Jason seems more that unusually interested in it.

"Fascinating." Jason notes as the Demon rakes its nails across the glass of its prison. "It is like a different person."

"Away, hollow fool!" The Demon snarls as Jason leans closer to the glass.

"Stranger, does your audacity know no bounds?!" Zauriel asks, with barely masked anger in his voice. "You sent a demon queen into the Spectre! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Nay, former angle, I have not. You clearly fail to see what is right in front of you. The vessel and the demon that you fear, I sent her human soul into the Spirit of Vengeance."

"You split her." Fate surmises. "We almost did that by accident but we were prevented."

"That is a tainted soul Stranger, you may have doomed us all." Zauriel continues.

"For an angle, you have surprisingly little faith." Jason says without turning.

"Silence! Damned one." Zauriel growls.

"Excuse me?" Jason asks, even if he heard the words clearly.

"You have no right to speak to one such as I." Zauriel continues as he turns to stare Jason in the eyes. Inside the bottle, the demon smiles wickedly at the display of discord.

"Gentlemen, please. There is urgent work to be done; fighting amongst ourselves will not aid anyone." Fate implores seeing the old argument arise between the two.

"The Stranger brings the corpse of a Leaguer and something that looks like her, and you act like nothing?" Aquaman asks in outrage, the two pair's quickly descend into bickering, while the Stranger sighs and the Demon chuckles while Amazo stares at Raven's still body.

"SILENCE, YOU MORTAL FOOLS!" Apollyon roar's from within his prison, startling most of them out of their arguments. "While you bicker like children, my Mistress fights for your worthless ball of mud on her own!"

"What is that?" Aquaman asks is surprise at the voice of the blade.

"I believe this is where the voice comes from." Amazo says as he turns Raven over to reveal the sword on her back, the eyes there glare angrily at them all.

"Another demon, powerful, very powerful." Jason says almost timidly. Zauriel steps forwards to have closer look.

"Yet imprisoned in the sword. I command you demon, speak you name!" He says while staring into the four eyes.

"Draw me, pampered fool, and know it!" Apollyon hisses, both Fate and Jason is about to shout a warning but Zauriel reaches forwards and grabs the handle, his body immediately goes rigid except for his head that lolls from side to side as his eyes roll into the back of his skull. "I am Apollyon, the Herald of Trigon! Now the weapon of Raven, Ruler of the Eight Pit! Gods have bowed and died before my might. And you, arrogant agent of Heaven, is but a dust mote to me and her!" Apollyon forces his words to come out of Zauriel's throat before blasting him into the opposite wall, leaving a visible crack in it, while the blade returns to its scabbard on its own.

"If we can avoid anymore pointless bickering, I will explain all before we must act." The Stranger says as he walks over to help the angle back onto his feet. "Watch, and learn." He says as he spreads his arms and forms a silver disk in the middle of the room with a mirror surface that begins displaying images. "She will contest Luthor's power of the Spectre till the true host is found and returned by Nightwing. As you know, the Spectre will be incapacitated while the battle inside it rages. For her to be able to contest Luthor's control, she must be separate from her mortal body. And for her not to receive the Spectre's final judgment, her demonic half must be kept separate from her. "

"You seem so sure, she can do this." Aquaman notes.

"Nothing is certain, but I know she is capable in this current situation. While she fights on the inside, we will have to fight him on the outside. Luthor will not attain the full scope of the Spectre's powers for another hour due to the ritual." The Stranger continues.

"What about her?" Amazo asks as he picks up Raven's body, so far he has not actually noticed the demon in the sphere, or given no indication of actually seeing it.

"I have arrested all biological activity in her body, should she return to it, she will find it unchanged." The Stanger explains.

"Should? You mean she may not be able to?!" Jason asks.

"I do not know if she can return Jason Blood, and yes, she understood that risk before agreeing." The Stanger continues.

"Who says she won't just supplant Luthor and takes the Spectre for herself?" Zauriel grumbles.

"You do not know her Zauriel; I would suggest you refrain from judging someone you only know from word of mouth." Fate mentions.

"I know demons, they are **never** beneficial." Zauriel continues.

"And angles are the blind eyes, deaf ears and mute voice of an uncaring god apparently." Jason grumbles back.

"Enough!" Aquaman cut through before the two can begin bickering again. "Stanger, we should go."

"Agreed, be prepared for anything. Dr. Fate, I will leave the demon here." Dr. Fate nods at The Phantom Stranger as the group vanishes, taking Raven's body with them, leaving the bottled demon alone.

"Hey guys, anything new?" A voice says before the owner enters the room a moment later, the Demon instantly recognizes him and sees its chance of escape; quickly performing the limited shape shifting it is capable of and changes its eyes. The owner has grown slightly over the years to be a little taller than Raven and Nightwing, his once long hair is now cut short in the manner of a soldier. Where he once wore a swimsuit in different shades of blue, it is now red and black with the same shades and designs. What gives Tempest, formerly known as Aqualad, away however, is his onyx black eyes. "Huh, guess they left…Raven?" His eyes goes from wandering the otherwise empty room, to fix on the Demon in the corner, who looks at him in surprise and something that looks like sadness.

"Garth?" She asks.

"What are you doing in there? I thought you were in the League now?" He asks as he walks over to the prison.

"I thought so too, but Fate decided to bottle me up here. They still think I'm a danger to everyone." The Demon says letting some sadness enter her voice.

"By the Seas, they never learn do they?" Garth asks in an annoyed tone. "Hold up, I will get you out." He says before he runs out of the room to fetch a solid looking chair from somewhere. "I guess he made that thing to contain you specifically, turn around, don't want to hurt you." He says as he raises the chair to swing as the Demon turns around. The glass shatters at the impact of the chair and the Demon falls forwards at the sudden shake. Tempest is quickly by her side to pick her up. "You ok?" He asks.

"I'm fine now, dolt." Tempest hardly registers the blur of motion that suddenly has him pinned to the wall.

"Raven…what are you doing?!"

"I could have such fun with you, but I have no time for such things." The Demon says as she lets her eyes returns to normal. "You know, they are right, I am a danger to everyone. Now, I have to go hunt down my weaker half. Till next time, fish boy." Garth receives a hard punch to his midsection, before his nose is filled with the smell of sulfur as the Demon departs the tower laughing madly to itself.

"By Poseidon's beard…what have I done?" Garth whispers to himself as it dawns on him, what he just released.

After her initial crush on him had passed, Garth and Raven had developed a strong friendship. Asides from Bumblebee and Cyborg, they were the closest relationship between the east and west teams. They shared a lot of common ground between them which often fueled their conversations, like Raven, Garth was born different amongst his own people and often distrusted and hated because of his eyes and strange powers that no other Atlantean had. At birth he was prevented from being killed, thanks to Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, who was more open-minded to the potential's of Garth's powers than his superstitious subjects. Thus began the partnership between the two, when Garth became old enough and got over his unnatural fear of fish. Raven had sworn never to tell Speedy about that, since Gath would never hear the end of it. They also shared the ground of magic, which is what he uses when he manipulates water, but he also studies Atlantis' own brand of magic as the only one of his people. In turn Raven had told him about her other half, long before she let the west team know, for her own silence about his childhood fears he promised not to tell. He knows now that he just had a close encounter with that other side, and that he is lucky to be alive.

"Now then, since you are always so eager to be in my presence. Perhaps we should go see if the rest of the League is as eager?" Luthor says with a smirk to the three heroes as his eyes gain a little intensity in their glow. Batman, Flash and Hawkgirl suddenly find themselves in the Alberto Plaza, the largest square in Jump City, right before City Hall, along with every League member and Titan involved in the nights operation, injured and able bodied alike. The unconscious fall to the ground while the conscious struggle to remain standing, Diana most of all, before Batman is by her side. Superman and John both look like boxers after twelve rounds, pieces of their uniforms are torn, revealing the wounds beneath, a testament to the power of Doomsday. The same creature stands frozen in place besides Luthor on the steps up to city hall.

"I take it you didn't get to him in time." Superman sighs at the sight to Batman. "What has he done?"

"Trapped the Spectre inside himself, granting him its powers, we were too late when we got there." Batman says. "We need to get the wounded out of here."

"Getting rid of me that quickly?" Diana asks with a little humor leaking into her pained voice.

"Diana, by the gods, you're here too?" Donna asks in shock ash she rushes over.

"Afraid so Sister, can you seen Cassie or Raven?" Diana replies.

"Over here Diana." Cassandra says with a strained voice while she limps over, not all of the Deadshot clones bullets were deflected and Cassandra is now clutching her right shoulder where one of the bullets are stuck, also one of its siblings had glazed her left tight.

"Any of you seen Raven?" Diana asks, diverting the attention to something else.

"The Phantom Stranger appeared and led her off on a mission, hopefully concerning the apparition up there." Batman says while staring at Luthor. "Cassandra, take Diana, we need to get the wounded out."

"No Batman, I want them to stay. Amazons are after all so eager to fight, why should a few broken bones stop them?" Lex asks out loud for all to hear. "Now I know you are all wondering why you are here? It is quite simple really, over the years you have been a thorn in my side, foiled my plans, no matter how beneficial they would be in the long run for the entire planet. But I forgive you, you know no better after all, and I am now offering you the chance to join me in my new world as my servants. You will be treated fairly, of course, but you will bow to me. If you choose not to, well, I am sure the afterlife is nice." He says with a smirk as he seems to grow in size. "Oh, I am sure some of you will find my offer ridiculous, that you already have a plan to stop what is right and so forth. But I can assure you, that my offer is most sincere, and that you have nothing to threaten me with." He smirks while looking back at Batman. "So how about it Mr. Wayne? Will you join me? Or perhaps I should grant you a small favor to coax you to join me? Perhaps you want the undying love of the woman next to you? Or a cure for the cancer that is slowly killing dear old Alfred Pennyworth, or maybe you simply want your parents back?" Lex asks as he floats closer to the man he is addressing, Diana feels like she is standing on a glacier hiding an erupting volcano, on the outside Batman doesn't even flinch, but Diana notes how at once he has grown completely cold and is on the edge of exploding in white hot rage.

"I will never bow to anyone, least of all a deranged lunatic like you!" Batman growls to the man's face. "You will fall like every other self-proclaimed god this world has seen." Lex seems more amused than angry at the statement.

"A regrettable decision, but expected." Luthor replies, while putting on a fake sad face. "Give my regards to your parents." He say's as Bruce Wayne's eyes go wide behind his mask for a short second before his form tumbles to the ground, nothing more than a skeleton leaving Diana to crash onto the infamous cape.

"BRUCE!" Diana cries as she feels the bones underneath her. "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU GOD FORSAKEN MONSTER!" She screams as she scrambles to her feet, blind with grief and rage she doesn't register her own injuries as she grabs Luthor around the throat in an effort to strangle him.

"GET HIM!" Superman yells, equally enraged by his best friend's death before his very eyes. To Luthor everything happens in slow motion, Flash kicks up dirt as he speeds off into the distance, Superman can almost be seen pushing the molecules of air out of his way as he heads straight for Luthor. John is like glow lamp warming up, as his form grows brighter and brighter. Hawkgirl, moving much slower than either Flash or Superman, still looks fearsome as she charges him, flying low over the heads of the slower heroes and villains.

Lex sighs, his breathing by no means hindered by the berserk Amazon trying to strangle him. "I was hoping I could sway you, but I guess you founders are too stuck in their own little world, I hope the rest of the League can decide without you." He says, knowing everyone will hear him. "I am sorry my dear, I was looking forwards to keeping you close." He says to Diana as her eyes go blank as the rest of her body slowly returns to the clay it was originally shaped from, leaving the hospital grown and her bracelets to fall empty onto the ground. "You know, I always wondered whose face I was wearing for that short time we switched places. Now I know, Wally West." He continues as he times a spinning punch perfectly to strike Flash in the head as he finishes his circulation of the globe. Wally doesn't see it coming, and in less than a second, his head explodes at the blow, showering those close enough with the remains, his body continues forwards, plowing through the masses of people in the square before finally crashing into the Central Police Station, nothing more than a bloody smear remains of him. "John, you carry an impressive gift, one that is so utterly wasted on one such as you. You lack what is needed to use that ring to its full potential, I know it is not your fault, but the ring should have chosen another. Someone, like me." Luthor smirks as he turns all of the energy John has gathered for his blast inwards, forcing the ring to annihilate its wielder in a flash of green, nothing remains of John but the ring that flies off.

"Green Lantern of Sector 2814, deceased. Scanning sector for sentient replacement." It says before being caught by Luthor.

"No, I think want to show your masters how a thing like this is supposed to be used." He says to it before putting it on, it doesn't have any effect on him. "Now then who's the next one, ah yes. Fearsome Hawkgirl, again I would have preferred to keep you alive, but you are a symbol I have to remove for the greater good." He says as dark tendrils shoot up from the ground to entangle the woman who only manages a look of surprise and panic as a grave opens beneath her before she is pulled into it, the earth covers the pit almost instantly. "And so, only one other remains, no more." One the ground, at the edge of the plaza, J'onn once again catches fire, this time burning him to ashes in a matter of seconds. "Now, Kal-El or Clark Kent. You will be the only one I will admit that I look forwards to ending." He continues as he flies back into the path of Superman who has barely moved an inch, the past events have taken less than a second leaving Luthor to talk to himself most of the time. As he is ready, Luthor lets time resume its normal passage and find himself under a brutal assault by Superman who is pounding away at him. Luthor doesn't even feel the impacts. "I dreamed of doing this slowly in many ways, but I think you actually deserve a quick death." He says before his arms blur with speed too fast for even Superman to see, one hand is suddenly at his throat and the other is holding onto his face. "Goodbye, Superman." Lex says with venom dripping into his voice before he tears Superman's head from his shoulders with no effort showing on his face. "Now, I think all of you need to have a time out to reflect on what has just happened." He says, while freezing the bodies of every Leaguer in the square, while he tosses Superman's head into the air before catching it again, as if it was a basketball.

"Fiend!" Someone yells behind Lex as a sudden trail of pain is drawn over his back. Luthor finds himself in the center of a storm of attacks, beams, swords and claws assail him from all sides, they hurt, Lex doesn't understand why, he couldn't feel Superman's punches, but these hurt.

"ENOUGH!" He bellows sending out a shockwave that sends his assailants flying through the air.

"Keep going, she is almost in place." The floating man in blue says from the back, Luthor can tell he is easily the most powerful of the lot, but he has yet to attack. Behind him, Luthor notices the lifeless body of the gray-skinned Amazon.

"No one can stand against me, not even you Stanger." Luthor says as the others pick themselves off the ground. "Perhaps I will grant you the final rest you crave?"

"I doubt the universe would allow my death." The Stranger replies calmly.

"But it will not stop the death of your companions." Luthor snarls back, having tried to simply erase the Stranger from existing, the others clutch their throats as the air they need is suddenly blocked. "Perhaps you would like to assure them that your secret weapon is still on its way before they end up like the dead one behind you?"

"_I am here."_ A woman's voice says within Luthor's head before he feels himself being pulled away.


	34. Monsters Ball pt 11: Mind Games

She is going faster now, faster and faster, all of the other small lights have long since become long while lines, only the point before her seems to only slowly become bigger. It feels like its taken hours for her to reach it, but suddenly she collides with it without realizing it, plunging her into almost total darkness. There is only one light in this place and it is dim, but considering that it is radiating off a single body, she is lucky to have any. She has seen the descriptions of the spirit before her, read about him so she would know him if she ever encountered him. Hanging chained and gagged in the middle of nothingness, is the Spectre. He is many times the size of Raven and he is struggling furiously at the chains holding it emaining oblivious to her presence. Raven wasn't expecting this, by all the accounts she has read, Luthor sould be wearing the Spectre here like a second skin. She needs help to take the next step, since she highly doubts the chains are the problem or even possible for her to undo and there is only one here who can.

"Hold still while I get this off." She says while she flies to the cloth gag covering the spirits mouth, without her demonic half, she is relying on her own strength to do this as her telekinesis is part of her demonic side. Putting her feet onto his left cheek she strains against the cloth that seems unnaturally resilient, but as she puts all of her strength into it, she is rewarded with the sound of tearing cloth as the gag falls away.

"Away from me! Hellspawn!" The Spectre roars with his mouth finally free. "You are still tainted!" Raven was sort of expecting this, the Spectre alone was never mentioned as a particularly rational being, this is one of the reasons it is always tied to a human soul. "When I get free, I will make sure to punish you for your transgressions against God!"

"Shut up!" Raven snaps back. "Listen to me! You are being used by a man who's greed knows no bounds, with your unwilling help, he will no doubt claim everything, and everything he does will be on your hands!" The spirit seethes, but Raven cuts him off before he can speak. "The Phantom Stranger sent me to prevent him doing just that, whenever you like it or not, I am the only one who can help you till your real host is found and returned to you."

"The Stranger…sent a demon queen?!" The spirit seethes in outrage.

"Like it or not, yes and as you know, I am already dead in this form. I want to make sure this world remains, even after I am gone. But I need your help to find the man enslaving you, before he realizes the true scope of your stolen powers." Raven states while staring into the white skull-eyes of the Spirit of Vengeance.

"Mark my words demon, one misstep and you judgment will be final!" The Spirit finally sighs.

"I am currently beyond your jurisdiction." Raven replies flatly as a glowing portal opens in the Spirit's forehead under the green hood, she doesn't hesitate before flying into it, as she enters a new dark, she hears a new voice.

"_Perhaps you would like to assure them that your secret weapon is still on its way before they end up like the dead one behind you?"_ It is Luthor.

"I am here." Raven replies in to the darkness, instantly a surprised and normal looking Luthor appears before her.

"You again?! I saw your corpse?!" He asks as he recognizes her before calming down. "No matter, I will undo you like I undid the others." He says and a look of surprise crosses his face as nothing happens. "What? What have you done?"

"You don't understand how the Spectre works, do you?" Raven asks as she crosses her arms before her. "The Spectre chooses its host from the spirits of the dead; you broke his rules and caged him while you are alive. I am not. I am here to contest your control of the power of the Spirit of Vengeance, as long as I do that, your body is a statue in the real world till this is decided."

"This power is mine, and I will never give it up." Luthor says flatly. "I don't know who or what you are, but do not expect me to give this up without a fight!" He says before lunging at her.

"She is in." The Stranger says to Nightwing as he is pouring over a list of dead cops and their last known addresses.

"Good, mind fights are Rae's specialty, Luthor is in for a world of hurt." Nightwing says as he spots the name he was looking for. "Got him."

"I wish not to worry you, but she has had to undergo certain changes to get inside of the Spectre and Luthor is still slightly augmented."

"Raven will pull through; I know she will, no matter what." Nightwing replies confidently as he runs out of the building, heading back to the neighborhood he was first dropped in, Crispus Allen lived only a few blocks from there.

"She will." The Stranger agrees. _"She has to."_ He says to himself.

"She is inside." The Stranger notes as his companions can breathe again.

"We came too late." Fate sighs, noticing the devastation wrought on the people in the square.

"By the tides." Aquaman adds. "He has killed them all." He says, noticing the pile of clay and Batman's cape and skeleton.

"We have other worries." The Stranger sighs. "The demon is free, I don't know how, but its containment has been shattered."

"Garth…" Aquaman sighs. "He was in the Tower; he must have been tricked by it. Damnit!" The sea king kicks up a little dirt at the thought of his fellow Atlantean and former sidekick.

"No blood has been spilt within my tower." Fate says. "He is safe. But the Stranger is right; with her demonic half free this is has become more problematic."

"It will head after its other half." Zauriel continues. "I cannot allow it to reach the Spectre!"

"It is too late; it will be there before you." Etrigan says. "And you cannot enter. This will be up to Raven to deal with."

"I would have thought seeing a demon command the Spectre would be amusing to one such as you?" Zauriel asks noticing that Etrigan does not sound happy about it.

"Ha! If there is to be a demon to command the Spectre, it should be I. But no, having something like that command it would only bring ruin to all realms. It will start with the mortal plane, then spread to the eight levels of Hell before, finally, even Heavens gates will be breached." Zauriel chuckles at Etrigan explanation. "What amuses you angle?"

"Merely the fear you have of one of your own."

"You would do well to be the same; you will see when you meet her." Etrigan warns.

"Enough, we need to get the frozen and wounded out of here." Fate says, quickly loosing his patience with the endless bickering the two can get into.

"Agreed." Aquaman says. "And the dead." He says as a sad expression crosses his face as he looks at Superman's body. "Where are Hawkgirl and Green Lantern?" He asks, spotting the column of smoke, guessing that would be J'onn.

"We will find no trace of John Steward." Amazo says. "Shayera lies here." He say as he points to the spot in the ground before the earth moves aside and a still body is lifted out of the ground in a yellow bowl. "I am sorry, her lungs are filled with gravel." He continues as Aquaman walks over, Shayera looks back at him with dirt in her mouth and eyes that are wide in horror.

"Let me take her." He says as he slips his arms under her back and knees. "You didn't deserve this." He says quietly to her.

"I can feel you are still drawing on something." Raven says as she circles Luthor, she will admit that he is more formidable than she initially thought, but she can feel he is drawing on the Spectres powers and she herself does not have all of her usual abilities, forcing her to rely completely on her martial arts capabilities to simulate her attacks. And by drawing on the Spectres powers, he is making it very hard for her to reach into his mind, but she is working on it.

"Of course I am, you think rules apply to me?" Lex smirks while he begins circling as well.

"_They do son, they really do." _A deep male voice says from inside Lex's head, the voice sounds like it is spoken inside a cave.

"What? Who?" Lex asks in confusion as he looks around himself, Raven smirks slightly, she's broken through and Lex doesn't even know it. "I know that voice."

"_Yes you do, son." _The voice continues as a pale blue ghost of a man in a suit with curly hair and beard appears. _"You murdered me in the name of ambition; your own father."_ Raven is surprised at the ghost, this isn't her doing.

"You were too old; you weren't aggressive enough with the company, Lionel. And you wouldn't step down willingly!" Lex growls at the ghost.

"_You were barely 21, and it does not justify murder. My son, I can see your heart, the greed inside it knows no bounds. You want it all, at any cost you will have it, even if it leaves everything in ruin."_

"A king is a king, old man, I believe I said often enough to you that I want to be one." Luthor continues arrogantly.

"_But what is a king, If he has no kingdom to rule? Heed my last words to you, King Alexander Luthor, King Nothing. "_ The ghost says before it vanishes.

"Old fool." Lex says to himself while grinding his teeth, forgetting Raven inside with him. While fascinating to watch, Raven has been doing something other than watching Lex argue with is dead father. Like digging up more of his past, people that might have turned him from the path he follows, people like a Lana Lang.

"Ohh, Spectre, you cannot phantom how pleased I am to see you like this. It suits you." A voice says, the spirit snaps to attention at the voice. "To think God's mighty Vengeance has been bound to easily by mere flesh and blood." The voice continues speaking with malice reeking in it.

"You!" The spirit brims with anger as he spots Raven's demonic half floating closer to him. "Away from me!"

"No, I think I want to get closer to you, much closer." The demon teases. "I can smell my weaker half in there with you; she has almost won over the flesh bag holding you, hasn't she? Perhaps I should let her win for a brief second, before I crush all hope on this planet?" She says as she caresses the cheek of the spirit.

"You have no chance, half-creature. Without either half of yourselves, you will both wither and die soon enough." The Spectre smirks at her knowingly. "I can see it all, you are no conqueror, you are no mistress…"

"Shut up!" The demon growls.

"…you are a slave, of your father, of your destiny as a forgotten tool. And after that destiny was accomplished; you are a slave to her." The Spectre laughs deeply at the seething demon now rake her nails over his face.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" She screams at him while she keeps tearing and he keeps laughing. "I am the mistress! I am the one with all the power!"

"But she has control, where you have none!" The Spectre continues laughing. "Perhaps if she succeeds, I should grant her a more permanent solution to your separation. Perhaps she would like you in a bottle she can put on her mantle piece? Or she'd prefer you as her personal waitress, but then again, you already are, all you need is a fitting token of your position, a leash perhaps?" He roars with laughter again as the demon freezes completely, it's fury having reached past the point of reason.

"You talk too much slave of God. I will deal with you after I am free on my human side; your suffering shall be remembered by all, from the pits of hell, to the ignorant buffoon that created you!" She says as she pulls back. "This entry will be but a brief taste of the pain to come!" She yells as she races towards him. The Spectres laughter is turned to a scream as she forcibly enters the closed up portal in his forehead by caving it in.

"It has entered." The Stranger notes at Luthors frozen shape as he carefully collects Wonder Woman's clay remains.

Slowly help is arriving from Jump City Penitentiary, the President was not about to let several dozen of metahumans vanish under his nose while the diplomatic corps of the world was with him. With the President having been kidnapped to Jump City, Agent Faraday had not been slow to direct a sizeable portion of the State's spy satellites at the city. With Fate, Zauriel and Etrigan present along with those able bodied Leaguers Lex hadn't frozen, there aren't any of the criminals that feel fit to try and oppose them and just seem glad when the soldiers and police start showing up to take them away.

"It seems even angrier than before." Fate notes as he guides the brainwashed heroes and villains into separate groups.

"I suspect the Spectre made it face some facts that were uncomfortably true for it. We need to clear out this area fast; whoever will emerge the victor, will do so soon." The Stranger continues.

"All right! Everyone capable of it, move beyond the perimeter, NOW!" Aquaman bellows, his voice heard by all, no one questions him and they begin gradually clearing the square. "Amazo, have you collected the Martian?" He asks the large android as he floats by with a yellow sphere with some black powder inside.

"I have his ashes, yes. But I fail to see why they matter at this stage; they are no longer at risk."

"It is called reverence, if we make it through this, they deserve proper treatment." Aquaman replies.

Nightwing is at his destination, while hanging from a wire on the face of the building he looks into each apartment through the windows. At the third living room he is sure he has found his target sitting in a couch while looking into the distance. Nightwing knocks on the window to get his attention, it goes unheard, but the last knock makes Nightwing realize that he can pass through walls as his hand sinks into the window. Trying it out, he pushes himself through the surface with his entire body. This gets the man's attention.

"This is breaking and entering you know." He says grumpily, he is a bald African-American with a small beard and glasses, wearing a green overcoat with a loose pair of brown pants.

"Yet you don't seem overly surprised to see me do it." Nightwing notes.

"When you have been the host of the Spectre, passing through walls becomes as natural as breathing." The man sighs. "So are you dead too? I had the perception that you and Bruce Wayne were escaping death more often than was natural." Nightwing gives a short look of surprise at the man's knowledge. "I was lingering a year after my death before I accepted the Spectres offer, one of the things I did, was to follow Batman home to the cave where he took off his mask." Nightwing sighs, Crispus had just done what the entire police force in Gotham would have done; discover who Batman was under the cowl.

"Did it surprise you?"

"Not really when I found out, it made perfect sense." Crispus shrugs as he turns his attention back to the three shades in the room. "My wife and sons, I can see everyone as clear as day, but they can't see me."

"I only see shades. Mr. Allen, I am alive and I have been sent by the Phantom Stranger to take you back to the Spectre."

"Figures, well we better get going then." He sighs. "I don't do this anymore, visit them that is. After a year of wallowing in grief, I thought it was best I stayed away and buried myself in my work. My boys a growing so fast." He sighs the last part.

"Come, or we risk them not getting any older." Nightwing's words makes Crispus snap to attention. "Lex Luthor was the one that had you cast out of the Spectre to take control of it himself; we need to get you back inside."

"Had to be that egotistical maniac." Crispus growls. "Let's go."

"No…stop it…" Lex pleads from within the circle of ghosts that has surrounded him, ghost of people he has let down on purpose, people he has trampled into the dirt on his way to the top, people he has had murdered, all in the name of his monstrous ambition. They taunt him, ask him why and wonders how a man such as he could come into being. From his memories, Raven knows Lex barely batted an eye at any of them as he carried out his deeds against them but now when they are combined, they have brought him to his knees in guilt. "Make it stop!" Raven look on with the coldness of a machine.

"No Lex Luthor, on your command, Terra murdered several of my friends, some of whom were still children, my children! For that, I will never forgive you or her." She says flatly, after the 3rd ghost had appeared, Lex's first business partner, Raven had figured out how they appeared. It is Lex himself that animates them, Raven just nudges his mind with the memories.

"I just gave her free reigns to do what she wanted, so she was manageable." Lex pleads.

"I can read your mind Lex, as I have read hers. You gave her orders to eliminate any Titan she could, tapping into our old communicators; you dispatched her as your own assassin." Raven replies, before she becomes aware of another.

"She called it the Judas Contract and she enjoyed doing it. And I must say, I enjoyed every memory and scream as well." Lex stares in disbelief as a second woman with the same voice and body as the first appears to his right, with the first on the left. "Of course, when we are done here, her suffering will dwarf any she has inflicted."

"Took you long enough to get here." Raven sighs, somehow she wasn't surprised that her other half would get loose.

"There's two of you?!" Lex asks in confusion, the ghost around him are forgotten.

"No, there's only me." The last word is spoken by both.

"No longer will I bow to you or anyone else!" The newcomer says to Raven as she opens her four eyes.

"Funny, since you are bowing to a long dead demon." Raven replies as she falls into a ready stance.

"Father will live again; I will make sure of it."

"It will be over my dead body." Raven's voice gains a hard edge at the last part.

"That is part of the plan." The demon says as she breaks into a run towards Raven.

"So it begins." The Phantom Stranger sighs. "The battle of a soul has begun as predicted."

"You knew this?!" Aquaman asks.

"No, but the possibility was very high for it to happen. Make no mistake, I would have preferred it settled outside of the Spectre, but such was not our fortunes. But the fight has been coming since the day she was born." The Stranger replies. "Now we can only hope that Nightwing retrieves the true host in time, before a victor can be decided."

"Raven's soul would be bound to the Spectre as a new host if he does not." Fate explains. "And Luthor could regain his control if they exhaust one another."

"I was told she meditated daily to suppress the demon inside of her?" Aquaman mentions, his knowledge comes from Aqualad who had briefed his king on the Titans.

"She does when needed, the demon is now being confronted for the final time, either it will fall forever or gain total dominance." The Stranger answers.

"And we would have to kill it." Zauriel says, oddly enough Etrigan nods in agreement.

"I assume this is because she will be lost in that case." Aquaman asks.

"Her human soul will be devoured as a precaution." Fate sighs, it is a horrible thought, a soul devoured is destroyed utterly, no afterlife will await it, only oblivion.

"Question, how are you going to get me back inside if Lex still has his magical doohickey?" Allen asks as the two men fly through a starry tunnel.

"We got one working on distracting him from the inside till you get there, so we assume the ritual was only meant to kick you out once." Nightwing replies cheerfully.

"Wait, you put someone inside Old Moonface with him?" Cripus asks in surprise, knowing how that was usually achieved.

"Yeah, the Phantom Stranger put her in here; she is good at mind fighting." Nightwing says, still not noticing the man behind him growing a little pale.

"She is a brave one." Crispus finally says.

"That's she is, I just hope she can keep him occupied long enough for you to get there." Behind him Crispus nods gravely, knowing Nightwing remains unknowing of what Raven was asked, to be able to do what she is doing now.

"Leave me out of your fight damnit!" Lex growls as one of the two females sail close over his head for the third time since the fight began. This time however when the thrower advanced after the tossed; he is backhanded as she passed.

"Quiet, flesh-bag!" He hears one of them growl, that would be the latter he decides as he gets back up, she seemed much more verbally abusive than the first who was almost completely quiet as the two fought, only speaking to distract her.

"Does he distract you?" She asks. "Not surprising, you are the part that gets annoyed at the little things." She continues as the two tangle with each other, each tearing or punching at the other.

"We are of one mind when it comes to him and his deeds." The other seethes as the two separate for a second before reengaging. "He should be skinned alive!" Lex doesn't like the sound of that.

"Should? Yes. Will I do it? I doubt it." The other says as they pull apart again and one of them executes a very acrobatic back flip that treats the other to two kicks in the face before landing on her feet again.

"It would be justice, think of the Kids you so adore." One of them says.

"Don't you DARE speak about them!" The other warns as they tangle again in what appears to be something akin to sumo wrestling. If Lex had been watching through a TV screen, he would have popcorn nearby, as it is now, he wants to be somewhere far away when a victor is decided.

"Nightwing, you have done your part in this, Crispus Allen can find his way from here." The voice of the Stranger rings in the tunnel of starts where a white dot has appeared in the distance.

"Ok, you just go do you thing then." Nightwing says over his shoulder to Crispus.

"I will." The man replies. "Thank you for the save and for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Nightwing looks at him in confusion before his vision goes white and he suddenly has the feeling he is flying through real air, the impact with the stones underneath him tells him that he was right.

"Nightwing?" A deep voice asks in surprise before someone hauls him to his feet as his vision returns. "Come, we need to get clear of this place." Nightwing's sight is a little blurry, but he is fairly sure he is running or being carried across a square somewhere, the place seems oddly familiar somehow. When he looks to his side at the one supporting him, he sees a blond man with a beard and smells of seawater?

"Aquaman?" He asks. "Where are we?"

"In front of Jump City Hall, Luthor brought them all here." The sea king replies as they approach a group of people Nightwing currently doesn't recognize, there's a white blob, a red blob, a yellow blob and a big blue one or is that two blobs? "He is disorientated, Amazo, put him down over there." Nightwing feels a cold but smooth arm take hold of him as he is led into the darkness before he is sat down with his back against something.

"Rest my friend." A clam voice says before the yellow blob moves away.

Gradually his vision returns, he can see he is in a back alley with someone who appears to be asleep or something as the person is lying at the wall opposite from him, he finds it odd to find someone sleeping here, even if he knows Jump City has its share of homeless. As his visions clears he can tell the person is female, and armored, something inside his head kicks in and he recognizes her.

"Rae?" He asks as he crawls over to her. "We did good today Rae, Crispus should have kicked Luthor out by now." No response."Rae?" His vision becomes clear and he gets a good look at her, there is only one thing that gives away she is not sleeping, and Richard Greyson's heart freezes when he realizes it, she isn't breathing. "Rae!" he yelps as he quickly pulls off a glove to check for a pulse, he finds none and he notes her body is cold as ice. His mind goes into shock as he tries to come up with a reason for the condition before something finally dawns on him, she is dead. That was what Crispus meant, why he was sorry.

"He is seated." Amazo says as he rejoins the others.

"Where did you put him?" Aquaman asks.

"With his friend, he was very proud of her." Amazo replies calmly as he had read Nightwing's mind.

"You WHAT?!" Aquaman asks in shock. A second later a scream of grief comes from behind the building. Quickly the King and Dr. Fate run back. Finding Nightwing kneeling with Raven's body in his lap, holding her close while he is breaking down completely.

"Damnit Rae why does it have to be you?!" He screams to the skies that is robbing the light of dawn with thick black cloud. "Why is always you they choose?" He whispers to her. The two men are almost afraid of the reaction they will get if they announce their presence and tell him that Raven at least has a chance where the League has none. It is this last thought that makes Aquaman act as he walks up to the griever.

"Nightwing?" He asks, getting no response. "Nightwing!" He gets one as Nightwing looks at him, with his mask torn off and with red eyes.

"Why her?" Nightwing asks in a whisper. "Why does she have to sacrifice everything?"

"Listen to me Nightwing." Aquaman says as she kneels in front of him and puts a hand on his shoulder to make sure he has the other mans attention. "Raven is not gone, not yet. I am as displeased about this as I can be, but the Stranger works in, well, strange ways. He said it was necessary for Raven to be able to get inside the Spectre."

"She could separate her body and soul while alive!" Nightwing almost yells into the king's face.

"She could, but for her to enter, she had to be parted from her demonic half." Fate mentions, Nightwing is about to voice another angry outburst, but Aquaman cuts him off. "I know you don't like it, none of us do. But she has a chance of coming back, according to the Stranger, how and why he did not say but she has one. Come, there is something you need to see." He says as he gets up, offering Nightwing his one remaining hand, Nightwing just stares at him.

"I am not going to leave her in a back alley!" He finally manages; having internally come to the conclusion that if Raven really has a chance, then he will make sure her body is safe till then.

"Take her with you." Aquaman nods at him as Nightwing uses one hand to put his mask on after having dusted it off.

"Just be prepared to tell it to the people we are going to meet." Fate mentions as he forms a yellow orb around the three that takes them elsewhere.


	35. Monsters Ball pt 12: The Demons Stand

"I am afraid it is most of the blue hats that have been hit, Mister President." Amanda Waller says into the cell phone she is carrying while surveying all of the frozen heroes around her standing in the main street. "All of the red hats are back in custody, but that is unimportant from what I have been told."

"_Better spill it to me Amanda."_

"The founding League members are dead or missing, Mister President." She sighs as she looks at the ambulances that are preparing to depart with the dead; the line is dead for a few seconds.

"_And Luthor is behind this?"_

"Positive, most of the red hats claim he did it single handedly, but none of them were ever told what he was actually planning before they saw it happen in the blink of an eye."

"_What do you suggest as a course of action?"_

"I am not sure Mister President. Superman's head has been torn from his shoulders, Batman is a skeleton and Wonder Woman is a pile of gravel, if Lex is able to do that, I don't know if we have anything ready to counter it. Excuse me Sir, Dr. Fate is arriving." She says as a yellow ankh materializes in an open area with four people inside of it, one carried.

"This is not the worst of it." Aquaman says to Nightwing as he stares at his frozen colleagues. "Over here." He says as he motions at the ambulances.

"Dr. Fate!" Amanda says. "The President wants to know what we are dealing with here." Fate nods at the other two before addressing the woman.

"By using ancient and powerful magic's, Lex Luthor has usurped the power of probably the most powerful entity ever known; the Spectre, a spirit of vengeance."

"I know of the Spectre. Anything you can do to stop him?" Waller asks.

"The Spectre is being contested for the moment; actively there is nothing for us to do." The man says as Amanda can see Nightwing arguing with the paramedics who wants him to hand over Raven's body.

"I suppose you will say that this thing is unstoppable if left loose?" Amanda says as her eyes follow Nightwing around.

"The Spectre has been walking the Earth since the dawn of humanity, tied to a human soul since the times of Christ. It has a singular purpose, but it wields the power to erase reality if it finds humanity beyond salvation." Fate explains knowing well that the woman will ask him to prove it.

"You know this?"

"I assume you know the country of Vlatava?" He counters, knowing he needed a recent example.

"Yes, Eastern European, devastated in a singular explosion of non-nuclear kind after enduring decades of civil war, leaving only two survivors, Count Vertigo and his opponent, both leaders of the opposing factions." She rattles off.

"That was the Spectre passing judgment when its host was losing faith in his mission. It was the Spectre's sense of irony that spared the two."

"Hmm, so there is nothing to do but wait for whatever you are doing to work?" She asks.

"Unfortunately, but we have been assured that the best card is being played now." He sighs.

"If it works, it seems to have come at a cost." She mentions.

"We will mourn the League when there is time, for now, Raven is battling with herself, to prevent Armageddon." Fate blinks behind his mask, realizing he had let slip something the woman in front of him should not have known.

"You will explain that." She says and taps his chest with her phone. "I have looked very closely at several Raven's these last two months, and I will know if it is even the same person I'm looking at." Dr. Fate sighs at her.

"There is only one daughter of Trigon. I will show you what she is." He says as he places a glowing hand on Amanda's head. She finds herself and Fate in a burning wasteland where endless legions of fire beings are battling amongst themselves. "This is the Eight Pit, ruled since its creation by the demon known as Trigon. That is him." He says as Trigon's monstrous form crosses over the wasteland. "This is in the past, thousands of years ago in our world; he has just received news that another of his still infant children has perished."

"What is he?" Amanda asks as the demon lord disappears behind a mountain.

"One of the greatest evils to take physical form. Raven is the only child of his to ever live past infancy." Fate says as the vision changes to Gotham's streets where they see a pregnant woman disappear into an alley. "Amongst mystics, we know her only as the Carrier. We did not know her true name till recently, but we know she was fooled into carrying Trigons child. She was found by a collective of people who took her away to another dimension, known as Azerath." He says as they follow to see the woman being pulled through a white portal. "The inhabitants willingly took it upon themselves to raise Trigon's child in hopes of foiling his plans."

"Not a family man I take it?" Amanda notes as they survey changing scenery of Azerath.

"Trigon wanted only power and dominance. All of his attempts at a child were a means for him to gain access to our reality to conquer it. After that the fate of his offspring was insignificant. Azarath was a pacifist nation and they hoped that Raven would embrace their teachings to curb her heritage, but they chose not to raise her as one. Fortunately she understood that Trigon was to be opposed."

"So she came back to Earth to fight." Amanda finishes.

"She did. First she was turned away by the League, on Zatanna's advice." He says showing the event he had seen on a recorded image, Batman had asked him to see if there was anything about her, though he knew it was unlikely. "She sensed great evil within Raven, but did not see the evil was that of Trigon and not Raven's."

"You make it sound like she is carrying him inside of her." Amanda notes.

"In a way she is, watch." He says as the ritual he himself performed plays out in front of them, freezing when the demon was fully parted from Raven. "This is her demonic side." He says at the slightly smiling demon.

"I saw that on the space station."

"No, you saw this Raven change into something that grants her immense abilities." Fate argues as he motions at the screaming Raven. "The demon half of her grants her many powers, but is a separate entity in its own right. This half will see Trigon reborn and this world ended in a tide of blood, while her dominant human side will do anything to make sure it endures. Right now these two halves are battling amongst themselves to decide who the real mistress is and who is the slave, is Raven human or is she a demon."

"You say reborn." Amanda notes.

"I did. This I only know because my Tower was shielded against the ravages Trigon brought." Fate says as the image changes to the burnt down forest surrounding his tower. "Eventually Raven was forced to fulfill the doomsday prophecy of her birth and died bringing Trigon into this world, this is what happened." He continues as the view shifts to nearby Salem, in ruins and its people frozen in stone.

"My God." Amanda gasps.

"This was global; no one was spared, except for the Titans whom Raven shielded as a parting gift. I have been told that the Jump City Robin went into Trigon's realm after being informed that Raven was still alive and bought her back, hoping she'd know what to do. Trigon was for once in his existence caught totally unaware and his arrogance blinded him to the threat his daughter actually posed to him. He believed he had given her everything she had in terms of powers, I was told Raven was surprised when she drew on something that did not come from him and annihilated him utterly and restored the world. All of this happened about 5 years ago, and none of the frozen remembers it."

"And her ties to the Amazons?" Amanda asks after a second.

"A recent development, after you passed her. Raven was set on a series of trials by the League, her first was on Themyscira. Something drew Ares' attention to her. I have been told by Raven that Ares forced her to live a life as one of the ancient Amazons and what they went through. Raven went berserk and attacked Ares in a bid to buy the others time, as she thought, to escape to the sea. The Amazons were impressed by this feat enough to induct her." Amanda nods at him as the pieces of her puzzle fits into place.

"On a scale, how powerful is she?" She asks flatly.

"I fear she could overthrow this world if she wanted to, but that would be the demon she cages inside that has this desire." Amanda nods again.

"Tell me something, why did the Spectre not oppose this Trigon if it's one of the good guys?" She asks as the real world returns.

"I do not know, no one truly knows why or how the Spectre chooses his battles. But he chose not to intervene for his own reasons." Fate shrugs, he and his magically inclined colleagues had debated that question for several hours before coming up blank. "Perhaps he knew what would happen before it did?"

"Hmm, you have said much yet nothing at all. You don't actually know if she is a hero or should be put down." Amanda notes coldly.

"That Miss Waller will be answered shortly." Fate replies before turning away.

"They are all dead?" Nightwing asks to no one as he looks at the five stretchers, each with a founder on it, or what's left of them.

"I am sorry." Aquaman says with a heavy note of sadness as he looks at the pile of clay and Shayera. "We arrived too late to prevent it." Nightwing sighs.

"They would have wanted it this way if they couldn't grow old, they would wanted to go down fighting." He says.

"Aye, you are right, let us just hope it was not in vain." Aquaman continues.

"It won't, if I know Raven, if she is fighting, then she will win." Nightwing says as he looks at the body in his arms. "I know you will." He whispers to her.

"Worthless carcass! You killed our father, after all that he had given us!" The demon screeches as it swipes at Raven who backs away nimbly.

"Get over it." Raven grumbles in return as she spins around, catching the demon on the back of its head with her heel. This is taking too long and Lex is regaining control of the Spectre, either she has to take him out now or risk being cast out when he realizes it. _"I hope you found him Richard."_

"Was there a party I wasn't invited to or something?" A voice says, drawing everyone's attention to Crispus Allen who lights a cigarette.

"What the devil? Another one?" Lex asks in surprise.

"No, the devil would be one of those two, I am merely the guy you threw out Lex and now I am going to do the same to you." Crispus says while staring at Lex from behind his glasses. "Unlike the rest of you people, I was chosen for this, which means I got dips on old moonface. So; get out!" He says while an orange glow emerges from behind his glasses and the three find themselves flying into nothing before a bright flash blinds them.

On the outside the group the Stranger assembled, watch as Luthor collapses in the middle of the square leaving something standing in his place. A tall figure in a green cloak that covers most of his milk white skin.

"Crispus Allen is restored; the immediate danger for the world has passed." The Stranger notes, the other draw a sigh of relief, except for Nightwing who looks to Raven expecting her to spring back into life and probably slap him for holding her.

"She's not breathing." He notes with a heavy heart that is cracking again, he is not sure if he can bear losing both Bruce and Raven on the same day.

"They are still fighting." Zauriel notes. "Do you not see them?"

"What? See what…?" Nightwing looks up in confusion as something snaps in the square and two blasts seem to squash each other a few meters from Lex and the Spectre. "Is that?"

"Raven and her demon, yes, they are fighting in spirit form. That you can perceive both sight and sound of it tell of the power that is being unleashed now that they are outside the Spectre." Etrigan adds as a whoosh of air is heard from the square.

"The demon kicked her into the sky." Fate notes. "Allow me to extend your senses Nightwing, this you need to see." Nightwing feels a strange tingling as something in the sky become clearer. In the sky is two small figures that is exchanging blows and beams of magic, one black one white.

"She is not alone." Etrigan notes as he spots something behind the white spot.

"The League is with her." An imposing voice says, as the others take their eyes off the battle to watch the Spectre as he has appears besides them. "This is the work of the Stranger."

"Indeed, I managed to halt their soul's ascension so that they may aid her. They fight not directly, but they are supporting her efforts." The Stranger says. "But I had not anticipated that they continue to do so after exiting you, old friend."

"It is their choice to do so until claimed." Zauriel replies.

"Indeed, and to your unvoiced question Nightwing, this is a battle that tolerates no interference, not from me or anyone." The Spectre says without taking his eyes off the fight, even if he doesn't have to look to see it. Above them, the pair enters the clouds as the first thunderclap is heard.

"We are dead you idiot! Because of you!" The demon snarls as it punches Raven in the gut.

"Maybe I can get some peace and quiet from you now?" Raven growls as she brings both her hands down on top of the demons head, sending it tumbling downwards before it regains its flight.

"When your soul lingers in oblivion!" The demon screams before sending a bolt of magic flying at Raven, who deflects it with a shield.

"_You can do it sister, it is frustrated."_ Diana says.

"_It is at its most dangerous now." _ Superman cautions.

"_I suggest you try assaulting its mind." _J'onn adds.

"_I can't believe she keeps this thing inside of herself normally."_ Flash says to himself.

"_It may be caught unaware with an attack from several sides."_ Green Lantern adds having noted that most of the attacks of the two are frontal.

"_That thing needs to get its ass handed to it."_ Shayera says firmly._ "You can do that."_

"_Focus Raven, think clearly and it will prove no threat to you."_ Batman says quietly.

Raven hears them all, but ignores them even if she doesn't understand why she can hear them. She sends three razor edged slices of power towards the Demon that narrowly dodges out of the way. "I will die a hundred times if I can seal you away from the world forever!"

"You have had years to try, yet you have not, pale imitator." The Demon growls. "You have always fled from a confrontation with me, burying me under all those hours of meditation, yet here I am, as powerful as ever! Now it is time for the world to know the true nature and power of Raven, daughter of Trigon, The End of all things Mortal!" It says as it claps its hands in front of it creating a shockwave that sends Raven spinning backwards before being caught in a semi transparent black box that shrinks in size rendering her immobile. "You cannot stop me, I have won...human!" The demon continues as it draws close as a black spike of power forms around its right arm.

"_Damn it Raven, fight, this isn't going to end like this!"_ Batman growls. _"You have fought this thing since your birth; you've fought it all the way past the prophecy; where it should have died with your father. Fight it!" _

"Yes, I have fled from a confrontation with you." Raven says. "I am afraid of you and what you bring if I let you out. And I am sick of the fear you bring, the fear of you, fear of myself. Today you will learn to fear me!" Raven shouts the last part as a white blast shatters her prison and sends the demon flying back, as it regains its balance it finds Raven changed. "This ends today!" Raven says as her armor forms around her before it changes further. Like the armor, it grows to cover her completely, but instead of resembling her demon form, it resembles Raven's human guise with her helmet being a print of Raven's human face with the eyes having grown completely black. She reaches behind her and draws what appears to be a sword made of pure white flame as something springs from her back, forming two massive white wings that begin flapping to hold her up.

"Yes, it will finally end; this world and your wasted life!" The Demon snarls as it undergoes a similar transformation, with the black suit of armor, red eyes and a flaming red sword two large batwings forms behind it and a pair of tall horns grows from its forehead and a tail.

"_Go kick its ass."_ Shayera says quietly as Raven leans a little forwards and charges as the Demon roars and charges as well.

"A soul; black as hell and white as heaven." The Spectre notes as flash of lightning and the roar of thunder is heard, the spectators can see the storm has been usurped in the light and noise from two blades colliding. "It has been a long time since I have witnessed something like this."

"Care to extend your gift to this sightless one?" Aquaman grumbles, Fate quickly does so having forgotten that Aquaman cannot see the pair.

"What do you see soulless one?" Zauriel asks the android next to him.

"I see readings of forces being exerted in the clouds, forces I have difficulty identifying the nature of. " Amazo replies without looking. "And I do not understand where they come from."

"A pity, it is a magnificent battle." Etrigan notes while licking his lips before a particularly loud boom is heard. "Hmm, they are battling away from here." He sounds disappointed as the presence of the two disappear over the horizon.

"Themyscira." The Stranger says as he extends his vision of the two that exchange blows inside the amphitheatre there; each blow seems to affect the arena more than the combatants as the walls crack and heave. "They are using more force than anyone has ever done before under such a battle." He says as they dodge and weave between each other before Raven blocks a blow aimed to take her head, she counters with a putting an armored foot in her opponents midsection before trying with an overhead chop that leaves a circle of cracks in the ground where it strikes as the demon rolls out of the way. At this the demon takes to the skies again with Raven in pursuit before the two comes to blows again as various countries pass beneath them.

The battle continues as the two touches down from time to time, leaving marks of their struggle in the sands of Sahara ground zero is turned to glass by the demons fire, the rocky deserts of Iran is scorched, India's jungles leveled, the mountains of Himalaya has an extended visit as they collide with several mountains. Nightwing doesn't know if it is fate or not, but the two bounce off the ground before the house where the True Master lives before they are back in the air. Onwards they continue as they demolish a part of the jungles of Vietnam, Mount Fuji in Japan loses some of its snow as the demon tries to incinerate Raven with another burst of flame. In the Pacific Ocean a tiny, barely 5 meters across, unnamed island is sunk beneath the waves as its top receives Raven's blast of pure white. The two disappear beneath the waves several times before they both dive into the crater of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. They seem to spend several moments in the open lava pit before a flaming projectile is shot faster than a bullet out of it.

"TAKE COVER!" The Stranger yells as he has predicted the point of impact to be roughly the square before them, Amazo quickly runs with the Flash's speed to collect the still unconscious Luthor before joining the others under the protective domes Fate supplies both to them and the law enforcement agents nearby. Shortly after a red dot is seen on the western sky, Nightwing is strangely reminded of shooting star as he imagines seeing it from the side. It takes three seconds before the projectile comes crashing into the center of the square cracking the tiles, bounces several times before slamming into Jump City Hall's façade in a cloud of smoke. Above them, the clouds seem to decide to be somewhere else as they slowly depart, letting the dawn shine from the east.

"It is over." A flat voice is heard as the group sees something crawl on the ground at the impact site. "This dawn marks the day I take the last of my life back from the fear of you." The voice continues as a blinding white figure appears on the west end of the square standing on the roof, none of them can actually see the shape of it, so bright is its light. And the light seems to intensify, like the sun had decided to come down from the sky.

"No…NOOOO….!" The blackened shape screams as a beam of the purest light is shot from the other, engulfing her. The scream continues as the beam gains more intensity as the others are forced to cover their eyes. The force is so great that dirt and debris is sent flying away from the beam.

"What is happening?!" Aquaman yells.

"The looser is reaping her just reward." The Spectre says calmly as the force suddenly seems to be reversed and everything seems to be sucked towards the white figure, including her opponent that ends up blocking much of the light as she is stuck halfway into the other.

"Be gone." The white shape says before her opponent disappears into her with a long scream. The light dims immediately as leaving almost nothing of it left, besides a small sphere that seems covered by something on the top and sides. Nightwing is oddly thinking of the ball being Raven's head with her hood up.

"She elected to keep it?" Zauriel says apparently dumbstruck.

"Of course, the worst punishment for a force of chaos is to be controlled." Etrigan shrugs as the orb floats closer to them, knowing that he himself is being controlled by his human host.

"It seems our work here is complete." The Stranger says.

"Indeed." The Spectre nods.

"Wait, is there nothing you can do here?" Richard asks in surprise that the two were about to just leave and ends up staring into the skull-shaped pupils of the Spectres eyes.

"I can see you ask; why I do not right every wrong Lex Luthor has committed, why I do not return the dead to life and heal the wounded." Richard nods at him. "For your part, I will tell you why. It is not my function this day, as much as Crispus Allen would want to use the power of the Spectre to right the worlds wrongs, the Spirit of Vengeance must follow the rules laid upon it."

"You mean you won't do anything, even if murders were committed using your hands." Richard note's grimly.

"No, there are things here that are within my area, punishment. I know you find me cruel, but there is one other thing I will do, I will restore what has been broken, it is all I can. Farewell heroes, till our next meeting." The Spectres eyes glow slightly before he vanishes, taking the Stranger with him.

"They are like that." Zauriel sighs. "To wield as much power as they do, they have very strict rules they need to follow."

"I see the bodies of John Steward and the Flash." Amazo says as he looks into the square where they can see John lie.

"And the League has been released." Fate adds.

"But…she is still…" Richard notes that the orb is still moving towards them.

"She is still here, still dead." Etrigan sighs. "She is but a ghost now."

"_Talk about gratitude." _Raven sighs heavily as she sees the Spectre and Stranger vanish. _"And I am so tired."_

"_After that little fight, who wouldn't be?"_ Diana's voice filters into her mind.

"_Ok, when did you guys develop psychic powers?"_ Raven asks. _"I could hear you talking during the fight."_

"_We haven't."_ Flash says with a heavy note of sadness.

"_Luthor murdered us all." _Hawkgirl growls._ "We are all dead."_

"_What? But why can I hear you then?"_ Raven asks in confusion.

"_The Stranger came to us, asked us to stay and help you. How, I don't know, but I hope we did." _John adds.

"_Raven, can you re-enter your body from here?" _Bruce asks.

"_I am not sure. I can do what is known as astral projection, but my heart keeps beating when I do it, now, I just don't know."_

"_Try."_ Bruce says.

"_But, what about you? This world needs you."_ Raven argues.

"_We all knew a day like this would come." _J'onn adds. _"I suspect it was just our time to go, some of us have loved ones that we dearly wish to see again, now we get to rejoin them."_ He sounds happy at the thought.

"_Will you wait till I find out if I join you?" _Raven asks hoping that she won't be alone if she has to make the final journey.

"_Of course, that's why we are still here."_ Superman adds._ "Also, if you make it, I want to ask you a favor I won't ever get the chance to repay you for."_

"_What?"_

"_We know you shelter Azerath inside yourself, I want to ask if you will bring me to Lois, I don't want to leave her without saying goodbye."_ Raven has the sense of surprise from the others.

"_I…I wish to ask the same Sister, my mother will need to be calmed."_ Diana adds timidly, knowing Hippolyta will be devastated by the news.

"_I want the same." _Flash says. _"I don't know how this will work, if it does that is. But I have a wife, Linda. She deserves to hear this from me."_

"_I will be selfish and just say I am not tired of breathing, or in a hurry to find out what the Thanagarian afterlife is like for me."_ Shayera says, knowing that like most cultures, traitors weren't treated kindly even after death.

"_My mission isn't complete, Gotham still needs me. If you can return, I know you will find a way to bring us back as well."_ Batman says confidently, it makes Raven feel oddly proud to have his confidence in this matter.

"_I don't know, I have no real family left, all I had was the League and the Corp. After today, I don't think I have the Corp anymore."_ John sighs.

"_You're coming with me then."_ Shayera says sternly._ "The League will need a drill sergeant if we can get back, and I see no reason why that man can't be you. Besides, Mari will kill me if I get back without you."_

"_Hmm, I see what you mean." _John sighs, not bothering telling them that his relationship with the woman has been a bit rocky lately.

"_J'onn?"_ Superman asks.

"_My family is waiting, and has waited for me for so long. I want to see them again, to hold my wife and children in my arms again."_ J'onn says, with a torn voice.

"_We understand J'onn, we do."_ Batman says quietly, the others know why, he could choose the same and go rejoin his beloved parents.

"_I know, but I have made a promise, a promise I wish to keep. My family has waited over 1000 of your Earth years, I am sure they can wait a little longer."_ Raven has a sense of relief wash off the others.

"_I can't promise any of you anything in this matter, but you are all welcome in my mind if I can do this."_ Raven says.

"_Let's get to it then."_ Shayera agrees.

"What is she doing?" Aquaman asks as the yellow orb hovers before them.

"She is talking to the others." Zauriel adds.

"Can't we talk to her?!" Nightwing asks a little more urgently than he would normally liked Etrigan chuckles a little to himself. "What? What's so funny?"

"Merely you are asking for a phone when you are holding it in your hand." The demon smirks before patting Nightwing on the head. "How else did you know where to lead Crispus?" Nightwing blinks a few times before he realizes what Etrigan is talking about, the bond.

"_Rae? Rae?! Can you hear me?!"_ He sends.

"_Yes, too loud by the way."_ Raven sends back in her usual and slightly annoyed monotone.

"_Oh god it's good to hear your voice."_ Richard continues.

"_Technically you aren't, but that's not important."_ Raven sends back as she comes right up to him._ "I need some help with this. My heart has stopped beating, I need to get it started again before I try reentering, or I will just die all over again."_

"_Got it, just be ready." _ He says before quickly putting her body down and beginning to give her CPR after removing her chest plate. "Come back to me Rae." He says as he presses her chest down.

"_Keep going, I need to time this just right."_ Raven sends back.

"Does he not know that she is far past that kind of help?" Amazo asks Dr. Fate.

"She has instructed him to do it my friend, I apologize you cannot see her." The man says.

"1, 2, 3." Nightwing says as he pushes down before blowing air into Raven's lungs. "1, 2, 3…" He keeps repeating the process.

"_One, two, three." _Raven counts in unison till she is sure she has his rhythm. _"One, two and three!" _She says as she leaps into her body, kick starting her heart just as Richard blows another breath of air into her. He is surprised when she heaves in his breath as her eyes flutter open, making him pull away from her for a second before he does something completely illogical, he kisses her.

"Welcome back." He says after pulling away, to look at her surprised eyes.

"Not going to get rid of me that easily Boy Wonder." She replies in a whisper before pulling the others in and then passes out, Richard just hugs her.

* * *

**Authors Notes: **So, is this peace at last for Raven? Or a whole new can of worms she has to deal with? How is she going to explain her new residents? And how hard can it be to reunite the Founders souls with their bodies? :)


	36. Aftermath pt 1: Funerals Aborted

Raven wakes up in a white room, facing a large window where small stars sparkle on a dark sky, she recognizes it as the League infirmary. Nightwing is sitting in a chair next to her bed, fast asleep. Remembering what happened to her, she checks up on her new residents, making sure they are all there before turning her attention to the rest of the room just as Dr. Mid-Night enters. Raven notes immediately that he is wearing a black band around his right bicep, it is only due to the difference in shading that it is actually visible against the black sleeves of his uniform.

"Welcome back." He says grimly, Raven can feel the sadness washing off him.

"Thanks." Raven replies, curious to why he is so sad, actually she feels drowned by the emotion, it is not just his, it's the entire station that's like this. "Why is everyone so sad?" She asks getting a look, but its hard to tell because of the doctors goggles. "I am an empath; I can feel this entire station is grieving."

"Guess you weren't told, all of the founders are dead, Luthor killed them all before he was stopped." He sighs, Raven blinks a few times, she was certain Fate and the others would have noticed something. "I know this is not the news you wanted to wake up to, but they are holding a memorial now in the main hall." He continues as Raven jumps out of bed before realizing she is wearing a hospital grown. "You should be resting."

"They aren't gone yet Doctor, I have to stop this before someone does something stupid." Raven says as she moves to pass him.

"We have the bodies Raven, I know it's hard to believe it, but they are gone." He says as he stops her with a hand on her shoulder.

"And I have their souls Doctor, they can still come back, but not if they are buried." Raven says as she pushes against him.

"Look, I don't want to do this, but you have to stay here. I can't let you spoil a memorial just because you are delusional." He says as he activates the room's security, locking the three inside. "It is hard enough for all of us as it is."

"_Anything any of you want to add to this?"_ Raven asks the gathered people in her head.

"We are in here Pieter, she is not delusional." Diana's voice rings from Raven's mouth. "Get Fate, Zatanna or any of the other mystics up here, they can verify it, but don't bury us just yet." The doctor looks at her for a long second before calling up someone. Unnoticed by both of them, Nightwing observes them without moving, having been woken by the noise.

"Yeah, she is conscious again, but she claims the Founders aren't lost and is asking for verification. Ok." He says before closing the link. "They will be here in a few moments."

"They?" Raven asks as someone knocks on the door. Mid-Night disables the security measures, allowing a bandaged-up Zatanna, Fate, Zauriel and Jason Blood to enter. "That was fast." She notes, guessing they must either have run to get here or Fate had scooped them all up.

"We could see the Founders near you when you fought, but you passed out before we could ask you about it." Fate explains.

"Speak quickly; I was in the middle of the ceremony." Zauriel interrupts.

"You can call it off, I founders souls are inside of me." Raven replies flatly.

"You keep them prisoner?" Zauriel asks, getting an annoyed sigh out of Raven.

"No, angel, I'm providing them sanctuary until we find out if they can be returned to their bodies, which I hope you haven't disposed off." Raven says while fixing the angel with a stare.

"They are in the morgue. After saving them from Waller and her government ghouls." Nightwing says from behind them.

"That is a matter we will have to address." Batman says from within Raven, making most of the people jump.

"_Batman, let me know next time you want to talk."_ Raven grumbles inwardly. "Fate, I can show them to you, but I don't want either Zauriel or Etrigan in my head." Zatanna, unable to talk due to her broken jaw, points at her chest, indicating that she wants to go as well. "No. I don't trust you, at all. And you're drunk." The magician stares at her wide eyed, with a look of surprise mixed with anger, Mid-Night sighs.

"Zee, you stop drinking, and you stop it now!" Batman grumbles again. "Go sleep it off."

"I have to agree." Nightwing says, he can smell the alcohol she reeks off, it probably hadn't gone by the noses of the others, but they were too polite to mention it. The magician huffs in anger before stomping out of the room.

"Wish I could stop her summoning the stuff." Mid-Night sighs, knowing how Zatanna gets the booze onto the alcohol-free satellite.

"We will deal with that later." Fate says as he floats off the ground before crossing his legs while sitting down. "I am ready, unless you have one of your emotions assault me again."

"Good, hold on." Raven replies before sitting down as well.

"So the violator returns." Raven's voice says as Fate opens his eyes in the council chamber, he is slightly taken aback by the scores of Ravens in different cloaks watching him.

"Fascinating." He says under his breath.

"It is a study in emotions." J'onn's voice says from behind Fate, making the man turn to face a group of seven blue ghosts.

"Even if they tend to get grouchy if you get too close to them." Flash adds.

"You were trying to look under Anger's hood." Batman mentions.

"Hey how was I supposed to know?"

"Red cloak." Shayera adds while shrugging.

"You are really here?" Fate asks. "How?"

"The Stranger asked us to stay and help Raven fight her battle. We decided to stay afterwards in hope we can return like she has." Superman says. "There are others here on the other side of that door, but we haven't ventured outside yet."

"The city of Azerath and the emotional realms." Diana adds. "But we've stayed here in case we disrupt something."

"You don't have to, as long as you can keep reasonably calm that is. Actually I do have a few rules I would like you to respect while you are here." Raven's voice says from above.

"Better let us know before Wally lets something out, like that bad part of you." John adds, getting a scowl out of the speedster.

"Ok, it is quite simple, you are free to go wherever you please, but I ask you not to interact too much with the emotions you may encounter outside of this chamber as it will affect me on the outside. For those of you who haven't been here before this is the simple version; my powers a fueled by my emotions, in order to control them I give their aspects here a degree of independence. It means that I am not in direct control of them outside of this room, which can prove dangerous in some cases. Also it means that some realms, like Anger's, is a very dangerous place to visit, as the emotions are the absolute rulers of their realms." Raven explains.

"Only if I want it to be." The emotion adds, while letting on a knowing smirk.

"Na, we can always outrun them." Flash says confidently, Diana and Bruce roll their eyes.

"No you can't, this is my mind Flash. Alive you may be stronger, faster and more durable than me. But in here, I am in control. Hades found that out the hard way." Raven continues.

"His eyes made such funny sounds when they popped." Hatred mentions getting a chuckle from Anger.

"Ok, we understand that part. But are there anything else we need to know?" Superman asks the ceiling.

"Only if you want a room in Azerath or a copy of the satellite?"

"You can do that?" John asks.

"Power of imagination." Raven adds before the doors swing open, revealing the night sky outside before a life like copy of the station phases into being. "It should have everything I remember of the station and the parts I've seen of it. I only have two other things I need to tell you, if you venture out into the emotional realms, do not believe everything you see in them. Some things are there, representing what it means to me in some way but they are for the emotions to interact with and should ignore you. And please keep your hands off the orb in the council room, it's used by my emotions when I have to combine them and I am not sure what would happen to me or you if you did."

"But you have some idea I guess?" Hawkgirl asks.

"Worry that you might be sucked into core of my being, becoming a complete part of me. I may exhibit some of your traits, but I don't know if you could ever be parted from me again if that happened." Immediately the idea Wally was having about testing the orb disappears from his head, while Batman notes he was glad he didn't touch it while examining the featureless orb.

"I have one question." Fate says. "What happened to your other half?"

"Visit my realm if you wish to know." Anger says from behind them. "It is safe, for the time being."

"I think it is best we know where it is." Batman says.

"Follow me." Diana says as she knows where the gate is.

A few moments later the group of souls and the astral form of Dr. Fate is standing on the ledge overlooking the pit.

"Grim." Flash notes. "Ew, are those alive?" he asks as he notices some of the bodies twitch.

"Like I said, this isn't real." Raven says from above. "Besides you can all fly in here if you wish."

"Ok, this is new." Flash says as he steps out into the air as a red cloaked woman makes herself visible near the pyre.

"Follow me." Anger calls, the other shrug before floating after her for a shot trip before she halts at a wooden door with bars in the small square window that's built into a hill of bodies. "This is where I keep her." She says as she opens the door, revealing a starved looking demonic Raven hanging limply in the chains securing her limbs to the wall with various tubes plugged into her. "That is when I or Hatred aren't in the mood for some fun with her."

"You torture her." Batman notes.

"Wow, that's harsh, isn't it?" Flash asks.

"Maybe, if it was even remotely human." Anger replies flatly. "If you must know; this room isn't something I have created, she did, for me. Before the Stranger tore us apart, it was me that resided in this cell. That was why Raven could never allow herself to get angry, because it would give this one influence. I don't expect you to understand this, but it is how I want it to be."

"You have another option?" Superman asks.

"We could banish her but that would only land her in the Eight Pit where she would assume control and return worse than ever. Annihilate her like we did Trigon send her to the Styx or cast her into oblivion from where nothing returns. The last two options will separate us from the Pit and as much as we don't want to be connected to it, we are the ones that keep the place in line and off Earth. This way we can still be of service with the powers we had, just without being scared to use it."

"Guess treating it humanely isn't an option?" Flash asks.

"It would have no effect, she will try to murder anything within arm's reach, Etrigan would be the same if Jason is not around. This demon however, is a part of us, always had been and always will be." Anger replies. "There however exists one final option; that I embrace her…but right now, that's not an option I am going to choose."

"This is your mind, this is your decision." Batman says before turning away.

"Please…kill me…" The thing inside the cell gasps.

"You never heeded my pleas." Anger says as a blast of heat radiates off her as she looks at the prisoner. "And I lasted far longer than you before I pleaded!" She hisses with barely suppressed rage before turning to the visitors with smoldering eyes. "I will suggest the rest of you leave now, unless you want to find out what Hatred and I take as fun." Anger growls as her black cloaked sister appear behind her with a glowing branding iron in her hand.

"I think it would be wise." Fate says before turning around and flying back, closely followed by the others. As they reach the ledge they hear a long and drawn out scream come from behind them.

"Am I the only one freaked out by all of this?" Flash asks.

"It is a demon; any other treatment will be seen as a weakness by it and it will make it stronger. This is what happens in the pits all the time, only the demons are the tortures and the souls are the ones suffering." Fate says as there is some distant yelling. "If you still doubt, ask Zauriel or Etrigan when possible."

"But doesn't that make Raven the demon in this setting?" Flash continues.

"I'm a half demon Flash, if I like it or not or if that mentality back there is involved in it or not, it's still going to be a part of my DNA." Raven says from above.

"Yes, but why keep it if makes you the bad one?" He asks, the room is silent for a moment.

"I guess I am not sure, maybe I am vindictive and maybe I am scared of parting with what I know. Maybe I really am just that kind of person at heart. But I know one thing, it is a part of me and sadly it is a part I am not sure I can actually live without, maybe I am just scared of dying and find out where I end up." Raven says finally.

"Like it or not, we are not the ones to judge matters mystical." Batman mentions.

"No, you are not." Fate says in agreement with the Dark Knight. "If anyone is, the Spectre is and he will come if needed, but not before. I will inform of your presence here." He says before vanishing.

"Question, will we end up here if we misbehave?" Shayera asks Raven.

"No, but I will have to talk to you if that happens." Raven says from above. "This is purely an internal matter."

"I am satisfied; the souls of the Founders are residing within Raven. And the demon is being detained." Fate says as he returns to the real world.

"So what do we do until we find out if we can bring them back?" Nightwing asks.

"First of all, we need to know how many knows about the Founders current state." Raven says as she gets up.

"Too many I am afraid, most of the bad guys we picked up know they are technically dead, so does Waller and by that extension, the US government." Nightwing sighs. "But so far it is kept out of the press and relatives are so far in the dark as well, last thing we need is an opportunist."

"Hold on, I need to ask the others." Raven says. _"We have a problem out here."_

"_We heard."_ Batman says. _"Till we are out or otherwise resolved, anyone who wants us dead, permanently, will be coming for you if they find out."_

"_The thought had occurred to me, what do we do about it?" _Raven asks, but her personal safety wasn't the first thing that had been in her mind.

"_Say that we are well, that a solution to our predicament was quickly provided. Tell them that the Spectre did it if you have to and we recovered on the station. In the meantime, say that we are recuperating and have arranged for others to fill in for us till we return."_

"_I think it will be a bit difficult for some to believe some of you are just taking a vacation." _Raven notes dryly.

"_I have to agree with her on that."_ Superman says. _"Most of us have charged off with serious injuries at some point."_

"_I have a suggestion." _J'onn adds._ "If needed, Raven can pose as one of us in body while we do the talking."_

"_It can work, but if I have to work on getting you back, I have to limit that option to the most serious matters. Which means that I am not going to patrol your regular haunts."_ Raven sends back.

"_We have options regarding that."_ Batman says. _"Have Nightwing access the cave computer and look up the file marked Generation. It was something I came up with before we expanded the League, it should cover for the time being."_

"_Got it." _ Raven says before returning to the real world. "Ok, this is the deal." She says as she looks at the others.

After explaining the plan, they set to work; Nightwing would inform the Gotham operatives of the current situation, Raven would have to deal with the rest in person. Zauriel got the chore of breaking up the memorial, which earned him a few grumbles from the participants, since it was him that called it together.

While that was being done, Raven was busy getting herself and the others updated on what she had missed out on. Doomsday is still a statue, one Waller is currently holding onto, but she can't say if she can continue to do so if he wakes up. Luthor and all of his associates have been rounded up and a currently being detained, if the Spectre is planning on punishing any of them, he is apparently biding his time.

Turns out Jarvis was not the only casualty amongst the caped community, investigators found a virtual mad man's laboratory in the complex along with several meta-human corpses in a morgue, amongst them was Deadshot's and Mercy Graves, both were showing signs of having been dissected and obviously cloned. Also they found the remains of Argent, the poor woman showed signs of having been tortured before she was dismembered and dissected. Lastly they found a skeleton they believe belonging to Warp, it was speculated that his usefulness had outlived itself sometime after rigging the prison.

On a positive note, the brainwashed people came too with the Spectre's help, but none of them remembered anything between their abductions and their appearances in Jump City. Oddly enough Zatanna had refused to have a medical exam beyond her jaw, citing, by paper that had been left behind, that if she doesn't remember anything, it is for the best and she wanted no reason to think otherwise. Dr. Mid-Night was worried she was spiraling and she has an idea of something that might have happened to her, as she was soon found drunk in her old quarters in the satellite.

Cyborg was the only one who could actually say what had happened while he was there, telling a tale of a large group of scared bad guys with bombs on the back of their heads. Only Luthor's inner circle didn't have one, which counted Circe, Tala, Terra, Dr. Psycho, Cheeta and the Joker. Lobo didn't have one as it wouldn't stop him under any circumstances and he was paid enough to follow orders.

After a quick check she could confirm Cerberus has returned to Eight Pit after she remembered she had forgot to bring him with her into Lex's summoning chamber. And before she realized it, the day had passed for her and the calls to those that needed to gather had been placed, leaving her to go and rest before she had to face them all.


	37. Aftermath pt 2: Meeting the Kents

"_Remember, it was you that wanted to do it this way."_ Raven sends to the first of the Founder who's family she has to inform.

"_They will just be angry if we try to fool them about this."_ Superman says as they fly over the vast crop fields of Kansas. _"Just don't let Lois get to you."_

"_And I was worried about your adoptive parents?"_ Raven sends back, unsure how to classify the ones who raised Kal-El, since when he has touched the subject he treated both of his pair's of parents equally.

"_Well, Ma will need the explaining, but I guess they all do."_

"_So when I give you the word, I guess you want Clark Kent and not Superman to talk to them?" _She sends back.

"_Yeah, Superman belongs in Metropolis. It's that farm down there."_ He says as a small red wooden house with a black tile roof and a barn in a similar design appears amidst the seemingly endless fields of corn and cattle that surrounds it.

"_Ok, I am going to come out of the shadows on the porch."_ Raven says as she vanishes from the clear and sunny sky, emerging from the shadows again. _"Here we go."_ She says before pulling down her hood and knocks on the door. She waits a few moments before she knocks again before the door is opened by an elderly man in a green shirt and blue canvas pants; he has glasses and is balding.

"Yes?"

"I'm Raven, I need to talk to Martha and Jonathan Kent; it's about Clark." Raven explains she guesses her hair and skin is putting him off, the man's eyes widen a bit before moving aside.

"Come in come in, you were the one who called us?" He asks as he closes the door behind her. "You made it sound urgent?"

"Yes and in a way it is, but it is a bit difficult to explain." Raven says as she follows him into the living room, where she finds one other person that she expected.

Martha is here wearing a pink knitted shirt and a long white skirt, so is Lois Lane in her usual purple and white get up. Also here is the one Leaguer they weren't actually able to get hold of; Supergirl had broken off contact with the League after someone told her Clark was gone. Mr. Terrific had managed to track her to Superman's Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic's; she hadn't told anyone outside of the League about Clark and was made to swear she kept it that way. She is dressed in pair of blue overalls and a pink T-shit to blend in. The last one is a teenager that Raven doesn't know, he seems to be as old as Kara, but by the looks of it, closely related to Kal as they share the same the same build and facial traits. He is wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of blue pants. Both Martha and Lois are seated in wooden chairs chatting over a cup of coffee, while the boy is staring into the ceiling, apparently bored out of his skull, Kara is searching for answers in the depths of her coffee. All in all it looks like a normal farmer family having visitors, Raven instantly feels out of place here, dressed up as she is. Jonathan coughs, drawing everyone attention.

"This is Raven; she was the one who called us." Jonathan says. "This is Martha, Lois Lane, I guess you know Kara and the young man is Conner."

"Hey there." Conner gives her a friendly wave as he looks up, apparently her appearance was enough to relieve his boredom for a bit.

"Aren't you the Raven from Jump City?" Lois asks, Raven can feel the curiosity from the woman like a fire.

"I am, but that's not really important right now." Raven replies.

"Better sit down then deary." Matha says motioning at the vacant chair at the other end of the table, across from the seat occupied by Jonathan. "Now then, what is it that is so important?" she asks as Raven takes the wooden seat.

"I need you to listen closely to this, because it will sound crazy." Raven says, noting she has everyone's attention. "You have heard about the Presidential Ball two days ago?" They nod; no one in America with a radio or TV could have missed it. "That attack was part of Lex Luthor's bid to gain control over Wonder Woman, who attended the ball. Wonder Woman herself was not the end of his plans as we learned, after liberating her, the League found out Luthor was up to something more nefarious, discovering he was attempting to gain control of an ancient mystical force called the Spectre, with it he would functionally become a god. We managed to stop him before he could unleash it's full potential, but not before he killed every League founder, Kal-El included." Raven can feel the mood in the room change as the people around her is about to erupt. "Let me finish, this is the part that is weird. Before he could leave this plane of existence, Kal was asked to linger for another reason after that, they all found out they may have a chance of returning or to at least to say goodbye to those who matter the most to them. But till that happens, Clark Kent's soul is hiding within me." Raven had expected this kind of reaction; the room is dead quiet as the others stare at her like if she had grown an extra head. "It may be better if I let him talk to you." She says as her form shifts into that of Clark Kent in the clothes he wore when he tried to get an interview out of Raven on the station. Clark looks down himself in surprise.

"Son, is that…you?" Jonathan asks.

"Umm, yeah, in a way." Clark says, to him it feels weird, it's not like he is in his real body, but it looks exactly like it. "Guess this is the part where I say I am sorry for scaring everyone here?"

"That is just freaky." Conner says.

"But, I heard you had her run all sorts of tests for the League, how can we know it's really you?" Kara asks, while she knew Raven had passed for the League, her knowledge besides that was vague at best.

"I know my son is in there." Martha says while looking into his eyes while tears form in her own. "I can see it."

"Don't cry Ma." Clark says as he gets up to hug his adoptive mother. "You know I can't stand it."

"But how?" Jonathan asks after they let go.

"Magic, I guess you can call it that." Superman says as he sits back down in his seat. "What Luthor did to us wasn't pretty, but we got put back together, only this part of me isn't where it should be."

"So this is not all of you?" Lois asks, Superman shakes his head at her before they lock eyes for a second, before Lois surprises them all by slapping him. "Ow! Damn you for scaring me!" She swears before hugging him while her tears fall. "Don't ever do that again." She sniffs. "Sure feels like you though."

"Sorry, Raven happens to be an Amazon." Clark says while patting his wife on the back. "If you can pin her down, you can try and grill her later." He says as he knows even now, her curiosity is itching to take over.

"But how are you going to get back?" Jonathan asks.

"Honestly we don't know if I can, but when Raven is done letting the people know of the development, she is joining a group of people that are going to find out if we can." Clark explains. "But you all deserve to know what is going on, since we can't let this become known publicly."

"Guess Clark Kent is going on vacation?" Conner asks.

"Yeah, but we have arranged for someone else to pose as me in Metropolis; Captain Marvel. It seems he was willing to lend a hand after everything between the League and him was cleared up."

"Couldn't I or Conner fill in for you?" Kara asks in an annoyed tone.

"Yes you could, Kara, but this is about symbolism. People will wonder where Superman has suddenly vanished off to, around the same time as Clark Kent went away, some will find that interesting. And Conner is not old enough to pose as me." Clark explains.

"Not that I want to, mind you." Conner says with a smirk.

"So I guess I am going to be lonely for a while?" Lois asks while wiping her eyes.

"Sorry honey, I know Krypto isn't the kind of company you want." Clark replies.

"_I am picking up feelings I really can do without when I am not the intended target."_ Raven mentions.

"Well, I guess I am getting too comfortable. Sorry Lois, but I doubt Raven will lend her body out for the things you have in mind."

"Get a room." Conner sighs.

"Some things need not be said so openly son." Jonathan says before politely sipping from his cup, Kara grimaces at the thought.

"Nonsense Jonathan, a husband is allowed to appreciate his wife." Martha mentions, getting Jonathan to cough. "Now I am sure you will come back. So why don't you let that young woman have her body back before Lois decides to give her a kiss?"

"You just come back, you hear me?" Lois asks as she leans back, clearly hurt.

"It was because of you I wanted to stay and say goodbye." Clark says before his visage changes back to Raven's.

"I hope this has eased you in some way." She says as the room goes quiet. "I should go."

"Oh no, I for one would like to know who is carrying my boy around." Martha says. "Please, we have plenty of cookies."

"Yeah, I think we are just surprised." Conner adds. "So are the rest of the Founders in your head as well?"

"Yeah, they are." Raven nods while having her coffee poured before her eyes turn up into the left corner as if she heard something. "Batman wants to know why Kara threw her communicator away." Kara's jaw drops. "Thank you." She says to Martha as she is passed a small plate of cookies.

"So what are they doing in there?" Conner continues.

"Well Batman is busy watching the world through my eyes; the others are loitering around on a copy of the League satellite for the time being." Raven says.

"Is that nice Martian in there as well?" Martha asks.

"Yes, he is busy talking with a part of me." Raven replies, J'onn had gone exploring, currently debating with Wisdom over Martian and Earth agriculture, a field Wisdom for once had more questions than answers.

"You don't seem overly bothered by having a group of people in your head." Jonathan notes.

"I am used to it." Raven smirks slightly.

"So why don't you tell us about yourself?" Martha asks. "Clark told us you had arrived up there, but he didn't say much about you."

"Not even to me." Lois mentions.

"I made an arrangement with him to keep it that way, I have a bad relationship with the Jump City press." Raven says almost apolitically to the woman next to her.

"Gary Lionwell is a scoundrel. I will walk across fire to get the good stories, but that guy just makes stuff up when it doesn't just land in his lap." Lois sighs. "Anyways I promise I won't put anything to print?" She asks, having over the years grown used to how a lot of superheroes wanted it, something that did frustrate her.

"Deal." Raven says. "So what is it you want to know?"

"What is it between you and Zatanna?" Kara asks faster than anyone had expected and the others look at her in question. "There been some 'issues' between them." Kara explains to the others.

"She thought I was too dangerous to have walking around when I came to ask for the League's help some years ago, she stubbornly kept holding onto that ever since. I guess you heard what happened on the station?" Raven guesses something like the attack was something everyone on the station would know about within an hour.

"That she hit you from behind and was then forced to confess that she was scared you would replace her? Yeah, I heard about that." Kara replies.

"You seem nice enough, why would she think that?" Jonathan asks.

"I'm not entirely human and I set off her other senses."

"Heck, neither are we." Conner says pointing at himself and Kara, Raven had noted something strange about him, something behind his physical appearance, he seemed hollow somehow; it's was like something was missing inside of him.

"Well you look human, asides the skin that is." Jonathan notes.

"Only because I want to look like this, a fight a year ago had some unfortunate side effects for me. Before that, this is what I looked like, now I really look like something else, and it's not really pleasant." Raven notes.

"I'm sure it's nothing that can startle us too badly, unless it's something that brings down the house." Martha gives Raven a reassuring smile.

"Ok, but I did warn you." Raven says as she slowly lets her features adjust into her demonic form, Martha nearly drops her cup when the second pair of eyes open, Raven quickly stabilizes it before it can spill. Jonathan whistles, the others look stumped.

"You were the one Lobo was busy pounding into the ground!" Lois says as she recognizes Raven.

"Yeah, I heard you saved me one arm, thank you." Raven says, reminded of what she had said to Superman.

"Umm, no problem, but the rest of you seems to have recovered." Lois had worried that Raven wasn't going to make it due to the sheer mass of injuries.

"I heal quickly if I am in the right state of mind." Raven notes. "You're taking this a lot better than I expected."

"Oh we are used to strangers from outer space." Martha says, having regained herself. "So what planet are you from?"

"Erm… I'm not from outer space, really." Raven doesn't really know how to explain her heritage to ordinary people, especially not ones that live on the edge of the 'Bible Belt'.

"_They aren't overly religious."_ Superman says from the inside with an amused tone.

"_Glad you are enjoying this." _ Raven sends back before deciding to grab the bull by the horns. "I am half demon."

"Well, that's a new one." Jonathan says as Raven changes back. "I get the feeling it is not something that you like to talk about?"

"Not really, it's not something I am proud of." Raven admits.

"So are you like Etrigan?" Lois asks. "Clark has talked about him and Jason." She says as she notes Raven's questioning look.

"No, Jason and Etrigan are two different people that inhabit the same body. Jason was once a regular man who committed some wrong and was cursed to be Etrigan's host till he had atoned for his crime. I am born with what I am." Raven explains.

"So one of your parent is…?" Lois asks.

"My mom found out too late what he really was." Raven interrupts. "And why he really did it, which wasn't for love or the good of mankind."

"Well, I am sure your mother is proud of you for what you have done." Martha says.

"I am, even if her actions clashes with my beliefs." A haunted woman's voice fills the room, startling the others.

"Thank you mom, now I look like lunatic." Raven sighs. "My father killed my mother and the dimensional city she resided in a few years ago, I didn't know before I visited, where the now dead inhabitants decided to hide inside of me."

"She's right; there is an entire city in here." Clark says. "I'll keep quiet now." He says somehow noticing Raven didn't like being used as telephone without being asked.

"I think I'd go nuts if I had Kal in my head like that." Conner says.

"Conner, can I ask, what are you? I can see you look a lot like Kal, but it's like there's something missing?" Raven asks, finally letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"I sure hope there isn't." Conner says. "I guess you as a mystic can see it, that thing Cadmus calls Doomsday and that clone of Kara called Galatea weren't the only clones of Kryptionians they managed to make. After Lex was brought on board, they decided to make another Superman, one to replace Kal when Doomsday one day did it's job. So here I am a clone of Kal-El and brother of both Doomsday and Bizarro and Galatea." He explains. "Can I ask what gave it away?" Raven stares at him for a few long seconds before answering.

"Your soul, I thought there wasn't one, but I can see it now, it's just very small compared to what it should be." She says, Conner actually seems relieved at this.

"Phew, I'm just glad I have one, Zatanna said I didn't when I met her. I guess it comes from being grown in a glass with a program to bow to old baldy." Conner says with a smile.

"Seems like Zatanna is causing a lot of trouble lately?" Lois notes.

"She seems to take things as she sees them at first and then stick with it." Raven sighs, lamenting the narrow-mindedness of the woman.

"_She is just used to being right about matters magical, it's why the League turned to her usually and not Dr. Fate."_ Batman says from the inside._ "Seems the favoring has made her spoiled."_

"So are all of those fields I saw yours?" Raven asks the Kent's.

"Why yes, although I am looking to sell them, with age creeping up on us and with no one wanting to continue here, we think its best." Jonathan says. "Do you want a tour?" He asks, getting a nod out of Raven, they may help Wisdom in his debate with J'onn.

"Dick, could you please repeat that?" Barbara asks, she is sitting with Dinah, Tim and Alfred in the kitchen of Wayne Manor, with Richard standing in the center having just told them of the situation, they are dumbstruck.

"Like I just said; Luthor killed Bruce, but his and the other League Founders spirits have taken refuge inside of Raven's head till we can figure out if we can get them back into their bodies. This is souls and magic stuff, so I can't tell you how it works or if it's even reversible. Bottom line is that Bruce is very much dead till we find a way of putting him back into his body. Regarding the company, we will do what we have always done when Bruce went away but I will step in from time to time to keep an eye on it. But when it comes to Batman, he has to be seen here, whenever it is Bruce or someone else under the cowl." He stares at them, not wanting to be the one who says what that means.

"Whoa, you are going to wear it?" Tim asks as he realizes it.

"As much as I don't want to, I will have to." Richard sighs. "You all know I never wanted to do this, but Batman is a symbol with far more meaning to it than we may realize, if he is replaced by Nightwing, everything in Gotham will erupt in chaos and right now the League can't spare the manpower. There has to be a Batman."

"I for one worried about the day when I would receive these news about Master Bruce." Alfred sighs. "And I have to agree with Master Richard, Batman has become a necessity to Gotham. I just hope we can have him back as soon as possible."

"Me too Alfred." Richard agrees. "But he can still talk to us through Raven and she is going to show up here when she is done informing all of the others that need to know about this."

"And she can shape shift, if you need the cover." Dinah mentions.

"She could, but I think she will busy trying to get him and the others back." Richard notes the other nod in understanding.

"_You have a nice family."_ Raven sends to Superman as they fly over Kansas once again, they had spent a pleasant afternoon on the farm.

"_Thank you, I am also very happy I have them."_ Superman sends back. _"So what is your take on Conner, Kara and Lois?"_

"_I got the feeling Lois was taking notes whenever she asked me anything. I'm sorry to say it, but I think me and Kara would have ended up in a fight if we had went to school together. Conner seems like a good kid, but he seems to need some guidance."_

"_Lois is like that, maybe she will add some of it to the article, if we ever get it written that is. I can't say I am surprised regarding you and Kara."_ He sighs, after the initial shock; Kara had most talked fashion and not very subtly disapproved of Raven's preferences. _"Conner is a good kid; he's just very much in the stage where he wants to prove to everyone that he is better than me. Actually he once wondered if he would have been accepted as a Titan?"_

"_He would, he's a teenager with powers and on the right side of the law we didn't have any other requirements back then. Not to mention if he came with your recommendation. How long has he been around?"_

"_Three years, took us a year to get rid of the mental programming he had been created with. Can I ask why you went global with the Titans?"_

"_The Brotherhood of Evil, an organization that the Doom Patrol usually fights, decided to remove the entire up and coming generation of heroes. With Titans East having been formed, Robin decided we should have a network to safeguard all of us teen heroes. It didn't work exactly as planned." _Raven sighs. _"Unknown to us, one of the first communicators we handed out was intercepted by Madam Rouge, a shapeshifter, who posed as the intended recipient. From there, we pretty much led the Brotherhood to everyone we reached out to."_

"_But you pulled through and stopped them all."_ Batman adds, having gotten the story from Richard.

"_We were lucky they wanted us as ice sculptures."_ Raven sends back._ "We could have been responsible for over 40 lives if they wanted heads. Also we didn't get every villain, as you know."_

"_Well we know what happened to Warp and Slade, and Malchior is long dead." _Superman says.

"_But we don't know what happened to the dragon after they stole his body."_ Batman continues.

"_And we still have that group of guards you filed as missing in Seattle, since we have moved up to today."_ Raven adds.

"_Katana and Bushido will help in this matter, but only Zatanna will know where they are." _Batman sighs._ "When you have time, ask Fate if he will talk to her about that."_

"_I will. But why him?"_ Raven sends back.

"_If Zatanna is not in Gotham or on tour, when she just wants to get away, she usually goes to a place her father left her, a mansion called Shadowcrest. It's a mansion that exists in another dimension."_ Batman says. _"I just hope she is sober." _Raven can only agree with this, Azar had told her plenty about the dangers of mixing alcohol and magic.

"_So who is the next one?" _Superman asks, wanting to turn the subject onto something else.

"_Hippolyta." _Raven sends back.


	38. Aftermath pt 3: The Queens Fury

"Whoa Cy, what happened to you?" Beastboy asks as he and Starfire enters the League's metal workshop where Cyborg is having his arms rebuilt.

"I'm all right, just some assembly required." Cyborg says from the gurney and waves his arm stumps. "So how are you two doing?" He asks not having seen them since they all woke up.

"I'm stiff all over; I spent almost two days as a pony for Kitten!" Beastboy complains having been told what he was doing when Raven found him.

"I am well, but I am saddened by the news about friend Argent." Starfire says with heavy note of sadness.

"She is in a better place now Star." Cyborg sighs, having heard about what happened to their friend. So far Raven has not told them about the others, not even Nightwing knows about who else Terra has murdered besides Kole, Gnarrk and the Kids, but Beastboy had seen when they brought out Argents remains. "I hear they found Terra down there as well?" He asks, changing the subject.

"They won't let us near her; she's in the holding cells." Beastboy sighs.

"Really? Why is she there?" Victor asks.

"They would only say that she played a willing part in all of this." Beastboy sighs again. "And that Raven and Nightwing knows why."

"I do not understand, why would friend Terra side with men like that?" Starfire asks.

"I'll call up Rob, this I want to hear as well." Cyborg says as he activates a screen in the wall next to him, thanks to his mechanical body, he can still operate some systems around him, after some fiddling. The screen comes alive but not with the person they expect on it.

"Yeah?" The figure asks.

"Batman?" Cyborg asks in surprise, the man on the screen seems surprised as well.

"Oh, sorry. It's me, Richard." The Batman on the screen says. "I have to get used to wearing this till the real one gets back." He explains. "What's up?"

"Why is friend Terra being detained?" Starfire asks, Nightwing stares at them for a second before sighing.

"I'll be right there." He says before closing the feed.

"Why am I not reassured by that?" Cyborg asks out loud before noticing the chip still on the back of Beastboy's head. "They haven't removed those yet?"

"What?" Beastboy asks as he puts a hand on the back of his head. "Oh that, no, Dr. Mid-Night and Steel is trying to cook up something that can get it off without it hurting too badly."

"Do you not have one of those?" Starfire asks.

"No, they settled with overwriting my systems." Cyborg sighs as Nightwing, dressed as himself, enters the workshop. "Hey man. So what's up with Terra?" He greets.

"You better sit down for this." Nightwing says without greeting them. Garfield and Star slowly sits down on a chair and a toolbox. "Ok, you all know Raven has developed a strong friendship with Wonder Woman?" He gets a few nods. "Well, after she broke out, as Cyborg knows, she went looking for her. Springing all of you and disabling the chips so Luthor couldn't kill you. When she found Diana, our Dr. Light was busy…molesting her. Raven reacted by chopping his lower right arm off, before beating the crap out of him. She was prevented killing him because of Hemon and the others. After that a group of people arrived, one of them was Terra and unlike you she was acting under her free will. Raven didn't bother dealing with her, since Diana was badly injured and Terra wasn't a threat. When she brought the Founders and me down to the cell, she was gone. We only had one trail to follow and it led into a dirt cave, where Terra was waiting. We had lost J'onn on the way, sending him out to scout. At first she tried making us believe she was hiding from Luthor and his goons before trying to turn us on Raven after she found out I was there. When she realized she couldn't fool us, she attacked and almost killed some of us. J'onn was nearly incinerated and Superman was treated to a dose of Kryptonite that almost knocked him out. When we got her down, Raven was ordered to enter her head to find out anything about what Luthor was really doing. She found out something else other than that. Terra was promised Markovia, her home country, for her part in all of this. But that was the least of it, Terra has been used as Luthors assassin, she has at least five Titans on her record according to Raven." His three friend's jaws drop at the news. "We are talking Kole, Gnarrk and the Kid's Raven took care of."

"What...?" Beastboy says wide eyed. "No, that can't be true, Terra wouldn't do that…would she?" He asks as a defeated expression washes over him.

"I am about to call up every Titan, I want to know if there are any other or if we are talking about an incredibly lifelike fantasy on Terra's part. And I want you to help me, if any of this is true; I want to know who we are missing." Nightwing says sternly. "But till then, Terra is being held on accounts on assault with lethal intent."

"I got all the numbers right here." Cyborg says. "I can bring them all up."

"Call them." Nightwing says.

The screen turns to static for a second before sectioning off into smaller screens, one for each communicator. One by one a face appears on most, but eight screens remains static.

"I am sorry to call you all up, but I have some bad news for all of you." Nightwing says to the assembly. "Argent is dead and we have several Titan's missing or not answering this call."

"Who are we talking about Rob?" Bumble-Bee asks.

"Kole, Gnarrk, The Kids, Hotspot, Pantha, Más y Meno's and Wildebeest. If any of you have seen them or know where they are, can you please confirm their whereabouts?" Nightwing continues.

"Comrade, there is something you are not saying." Red Star says with his usual Russian accent.

"We fear that those missing have been assassinated under Lex Luthor's orders." Nightwing continues without mentioning the possible trigger woman.

"Where is Raven?" Aqualad asks, noticing the mystic's absence. "She was the only one who knew where the Kids were."

"Raven is fine, she currently dealing with another matter, but she will join you if we need it." He replies.

"In case I don't see her sooner, can you tell I'm sorry for letting that…thing out of the Tower?" The Atlantean continues.

"Will do. I hope you guys come back with good news." Nightwing says before Cyborg closes the link.

"You fear, perhaps that Terra may have gotten to the others?" Starfire asks almost afraid she may be right.

"I don't know, I hope to God that they just aren't answering, but after I saw how Raven acted, I fear the worst. Cy, keep an eye on the channels if they pick up late?"

"Got it."

"Rob, how bad was Rae acting?" Beastboy says with a weak voice, Nightwing and the others can tell he doesn't want to believe Terra was responsible.

"Bad enough for Raven to ask Superman to get Terra away from her before plowing through both Metallo and the Joker in order to get to Luthor." Nightwing sighs. "It was the worst I've ever seen of her, but I hope it really was just fantasies she saw."

"_I hope she will understand this." _Diana says.

"_I hope she will let me finish before she has me executed."_ Raven sends back as she appears far above the sun baked island of Themyscira, neither Donna nor Cassandra had found the courage to inform Hippolyta of Diana's condition._ "Are there any good ways of giving her bad news?"_

"_Be honest with her, that's the only thing I can say." _Diana replies.

"_Ok. So will you want a change when you talk to her?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Will do, here we go." _Raven says as she glides over the open area in front of the royal palace, the guards tense for a second before recognizing Raven in her cloak and leotard as she lands in front of the steps.

"State your business sister." One of the guards says.

"I bring news from Man's World that her Highness needs to hear from me personally." Raven replies calmly while staring the guard in the eyes while she pulls off her hood and throws her cloak behind her shoulders.

"Wait outside the Throne Room until admitted." The guard says after a few seconds, Raven nods before marching inside without looking to either side before standing erect before the bronze double doors that block the way into the throne room.

"_You are nervous." _Diana notes.

"_Terrified."_ Raven corrects. _"But she has to know."_

"_It wasn't you that landed me here."_

"_No, but I was the one that got to Luthor too late to prevent this. And what Light and the others put you through. She will have every right to blame me for this."_

"_But it is also because of you that we still have a chance."_ Diana continues. _"I will speak up if she proves unreasonable."_ She says as the doors opens, admitting Raven to the room after a few moments of waiting.

Raven walks inside seeing the monarch sitting on her throne, displaying less emotion than the huge statue behind her. Raven stops a few meters short of the throne and bows slightly while banishing every emotion she can except for Bravery, which she I relying heavily on now.

"You bring tidings from the outside world, yet Diana is not with you." Hippolyta notes sternly, Raven spares a short second to wonder if she already knows. "I will hear of the reason for this."

"The ball was attacked while we were present and Princess Diana was the target; they used gas to incapacitate us before we were captured." Raven leaves out the other captives as she knows Hippolyta cares not for them under these circumstances.

"You escaped or were you not taken?" Hippolyta asks.

"I was taken as well; the intention was to turn us into brainless servants. I broke free because our attackers knew Princess Diana and her capabilities, but they underestimated mine. I fought hard to find the Princess again and arrived in time before a man could…violate her." Raven says as she notices, Hippolyta shift emotionally from blank to a mix of shock and rage.

"Tell me he will be punished for his offence." She demands, inside of Raven the other Leaguers are watching along with Diana.

"His right hand will never touch anything again. Shadowfury made sure of that. But others prevented my own fall when I moved to end his existence." Hippolyta stares hard at Raven before nodding at her to continue. "Others had been mistreating Diana before I arrived, but her dignity was kept. After freeing her and getting her to safety, leaving her with Donna, I was ordered to assist the League in the rest of the battle in the underground complex we had been held in. Together we arrived too late to prevent a man from attaining the power of gods. This man had a long history of confrontation with the Justice League and by that account Diana. The man arrogantly asked them all for their servitude, when they refused; they were all murdered in cold blood." Raven says, freezing on the spot as she sense Hippolyta in one way overloading with conflicting emotions and in another way dies out completely when she realizes what was just said.

"Dead…?" She whispers while a tear rolls down her cheek, Raven knows the damn is broken; she has to say the rest before Hippolyta is washed away.

"My Queen, there is…"

"DIANA IS DEAD?!" Hippolyta screams as she lets her staff fall to the ground as she buried her face in her hands as she cries, the guards look nervously at the two, unsure what to do.

"My Queen…" Raven tries again getting silenced by Hippolyta's tear and rage filled eyes, it was too late.

"BEGONE FALSE ONE!" Hippolyta screams at Raven that takes on a surprised but hurt expression. "Just leave me…!" Hippolyta continues as she crumbles in her seat. Raven bows slightly before retreating out of the room and sits down on the single bench outside and buries her own face in her hands, chanting her mantra in her head to keep her own emotional dam from breaking, she hadn't expected the sheer tidal wave Hippolyta had unleashed.

"_She will need some time to regain herself."_ Diana says from the inside.

"_Who wouldn't." _Raven notes. She sits there for well over an hour listening to Hippolyta slowly regains herself before finally barking a few orders. Raven stands back a little as six guards rush out and surround her.

"Her majesty desires your presence." Raven nods at the speaker before being escorted inside. Even if the weather outside has not changed form the sunny day, the room has changed for the worse and the puffy-eyed Hippolyta is staring at her with barely masked hostility as she is forced onto her knees and her face into the floor. Raven strains to silence Diana on the inside by grinding her teeth.

"Your fate will be decided by what you say next." Hippolyta says. "Tell me why my daughter, who carried the blessings of the gods have fallen, and not one such as you? Why were you spared her fate?" She asks as Raven is forced back up.

"The power that the man trapped within himself dwarfs all others, be they gods or mortals." Raven replies. "I was selected by another to fight this creature on a different front, where Princess Diana was summoned from a hospital ward. The power could have whiskered this planet out of existence if it wanted to, but it is always tied to the soul of a deceased human in order to guide it. I had to contest the man on that battleground before the displaced host could be returned…" Raven shuts up as Hippolyta holds out a hand.

"You said deceased human, yet you are neither." She notes.

"I am not, in order for me to fight this battle, my heart was stopped and my soul was torn apart, separating what is my human soul from my demonic half. My struggle proved successful and the proper host was restored…" Again she is cut off.

"Yet you live." Hippolyta notes.

"It is one of my abilities your highness, the separation of body and soul. But I needed outside assistance to do so." Hippolyta nods before standing up.

"And how do you view your own efforts in this matter?" Hippolyta asks, Raven knows in which light Hippolyta is asking.

"I have failed the trust you put in me, I have failed myself for not living up to that trust and I have failed Diana, whom I care for deeply." Raven says with a slight trembling in her voice.

"That you have, for that, you shall receive just punishment." Hippolyta says. "Hear…"

"You will pass no judgment when your Sister has yet to finish her tale Mother!"Diana's voice suddenly erupts, startling the entire room, Hippolyta most of all.

"Diana?" She whispers. "What is this?!" She asks in rising anger.

"Summon your mirror and hear Raven out."Diana says sternly. "This is no trick of mind or deceit on Raven's part_."_ Hippolyta stares wide eyed in confusion and surprise at the still kneeling Raven before finally she says something.

"Fetch Magala, Philipus and my mirror, quickly!" She hisses, three guards quickly run out of the room to obey. "I warn you, if this is trickery on your part, death will be a mercy." She warns Raven who meets her stare.

"I would never lie to you." Raven says quietly in her own voice as Hippolyta sits down again.

After 15 minutes, Magala finally enters the Throne Room with Philipus in tow and two guards carrying a large ornately framed mirror between them. Raven doesn't need to turn to know who enters as Magala is talking to herself and she can feel the surprise and concern of Philipus. Hippolyta stands back up before addressing them.

"Sister Raven has brought terrible news from the outside world, claiming my daughter has perished, yet my daughters voice sounds from within her. Demanding that I stay my judgment before I hear her tale to its end, I demand to know if I am being deceived."

"Oh, go on young Philipus, see if you can find our Princess in there." Magala says as she puts her hand on Philipus' shoulder and pointing at Raven. "And you, stand back, she is crowded enough as she is." She says to the guards, who step back after a nod from Hippolyta. Raven sits motionless as Philipus steps in front of her before staring hard at her forehead.

"_Hello Philipus."_ Diana says with an amused voice as Philipus and Raven bridges their minds, which leaves Philipus standing in Raven's mindscape surrounded by the Leaguers and with Azerath in the sky before she retreats.

"By the Gods, how many do you harbor?!" Philipus asks is surprise as she pulls back from Raven, having sensed not only the Founders but Azerath as well.

"The remaining souls of Azerath and the seven souls of the Justice League." Raven replies calmly as she notes Hippolyta's eyes go wide as well.

"Must be crowded inside that pretty head of yours." Magala giggles at Raven as she walks up to her and leans her head to the side while smiling, revealing her missing teeth. "But she is not deceiving you your Highness, the Princess is in there, in spirit." She continues as he looks up at Hippolyta.

"Stand up Sister." Hippolyta says somewhat more pleasantly than before. "Stand before this mirror and show me what lurks within you." Raven does as instructed and stands before the mirror that at first refuses to show anything other than the room. Slowly it shows each person in its reflection along with something else, a pale blue aura around each. It is most visible with Magala as the aura towers above her before the image becomes clear as it shows a tall woman with long flowing hair. Raven's own image seems grotesque when compared to the others, her face is slightly distorted making it look longer and it shows four narrow, pupil-less eyes. But that is not what the other viewers notice, Raven's body is practically covered in pale blue faces, leaving none of her body visible. All of the faces appear cold and unseeing at first, before they seem to smile at the viewers. Amongst them, if one knew how they looked, one can identify the faces of the League who are echoing the Azerathians.

"It is like someone brought the sun in here." Diana says.

"My child, is that really you?" Hippolyta asks as she spots her daughters face on the inside of Raven's right arm, leaving half of it obscured.

"I am afraid so mother, now, you will hear Raven out. Her tale is longer than she has told you so far." Hippolyta nods quickly.

"Leave us." She instructs the others, waiting till they have closed the door again before addressing Raven again. "You will show me everything that has happened and why my daughter is inside of you." She instructs before pulling her by the arm to the scrying pool. Raven holds out her hand over the pool. It does its usual routine before showing an image, an image of two sleeping women in the same bed with one having her arm wrapped around the other, keeping her close. Inwardly Raven cringes as Hippolyta's jaw almost drops as she recognizes the two before the image shifts to showing the ball, first Diana's encounter and later Ravens defense of her in the face of the Quraci, before it shows the attack and the events surrounding Raven that follows it. The demise of The Mad Hatter, the various fights and interrogations. Raven doesn't know why, but this time the pool has decided to be vocal as every word spoken is heard from it, saving her from having to speak. Hippolyta visibly tenses as Diana's scream is heard, she almost seems ready to leap into the pool as her knuckles are whitening when Dr. Light appears on the screen along the damage done to Diana. She relaxes slightly as she sees what Raven did to him and was prevented from doing by a pale blue ghost. She remains impassive as the group of interceptors appear and are subsequently dealt with. Hippolyta continues to watch impassively as Diana is escorted out, and Raven shot at when she emerges on the outside before returning to the underground complex after leaving Diana with Donna. Onwards the pool continues to show the gathering of the founders and their decisions along with the fight with Terra. While the pool doesn't show what Raven saw in Terra's mind, it does almost gains a red glow as she goes berserk and storms further into the complex after Luthor. Its view shifts to a first person perspective as first the guard, then Metallo, Flash and lastly the Joker are all pushed away before the lengthy tangle with Superman commences before they are interrupted by Doomsday. Hippolyta seems to pay even closer attention as the battle in the summoning chamber commences and with the appearance of the Phantom Stranger, she is visibly surprised when Raven says out loud to him what he was actually going to do to her before agreeing. To Raven, seeing the temple of Scath is again a sour reminder of what she once brought into this world. As Raven is separated the pool parts into three sections, each following a part of her, one section for her human soul, one for the raging demon and one for her body. Hippolyta watches impassively as Raven battles first Luthor, then herself for the control of the Spectre then for the right to control herself. She seems surprised when the two emerge into the real world, where the League's phantoms appear near the combatants and the two halves changes form before taking their battle around the globe. Something seems to click for her when she sees the part that happened in the arena of Themyscira. Hippolyta sighs as she sees the fight conclude with the defeat of the demon and the agreement Raven made with the souls of the departed Leaguers before she turns away.

"It seems there is no end to the surprises you can perform Sister." She says as she turns to look Raven in the eyes. "But I will be forever in your debt, if you can perform this last one. I will command you to do this; bring back my daughter, swear by the Gods you will do everything you can to make it so."

"I swear by the Gods I will do everything I can to bring them back." Raven nods mechanically.

"Know this, I still see failure in your deeds, but those come in secondary position. What I have asked of you, is in my position as a mother. The role of ruler will wait." She continues. "I wish not for you waste precious time with needless conversation with me, so go forth and do your task."

"It will be so, after the necessary arrangements with the League has been made." Raven replies, Hippolyta nods after a moment's thought, Raven and the others know that to the monarch, the League and the others are a distant second in her concerns when held up against Diana.

"Alas you are correct, evil will continue to fester in the world of man and it will need its defenders, even with the losses. Do what you have to, Sister."

"I will, my Queen." Raven agrees.

"_She was being unreasonable."_ Shayera argues from the inside as they leave the palaee._ "You haven't promised any of us a guaranteed chance of returning."_

"_The first task I get from her and her daughter is taken from this world. She has every right as a mother and a ruler to be displeased with me."_ Raven sends back.

"_Hey don't sweat it. It wasn't like you phoned up Luthor to get all of this arranged." _Flash chips in.

"_Wally is right, this isn't your making and she knows it, she saw what you had to do to get to Diana and to Luthor."_ John adds.

"_It is not a question of valor, she looks at the outcome." _Diana sighs.

"_She does, and I have to agree, if I had moved faster, asked fewer questions or argued less, perhaps we wouldn't be in this position?"_ Raven argues as she takes off from the base of the steps to the palace.

"_We go into the, could have/would have arguments, then we all lose. What if I had landed a few centimeters to my right one night and broke my back in a fall? What if someone opens up on Clark with a semi-automatic loaded with kryptonite and so on." _Batman says. _"We came up against a hostile Spectre, that we can even have this conversation is a stroke of luck."_ Raven smiles slightly at this, he was right and the others seem to agree.

"_So, my folks are up next?"_ Flash asks.

"_Yup, unless that kid of yours has already told them."_ John adds.

"_That is actually a possibility." _Flash says after a few seconds. _"Can't this thing go any faster?!"_

"_This thing happens to be me and no, I can't until I know where to go."_ Raven grumbles back.

"_Sorry. Keystone-Central City."_


	39. Aftermath pt 4: Flash and bacon

"Rob, I got some bad news." Cyborg sighs to the man over the communicator. "Kid Flash has been everywherethe others said they could be found at."

"And?" Nightwing asks from the cave.

"He couldn't find anything but ruins in most of the places, only the remains of Kole and Gnaark have been found." Cyborg sighs, the Kid had mentioned there wasn't that much left of Gnaark thanks to the local wildlife.

"Damnit." Nightwing whispers. "God damnit!" He yells as he throws something away from him. "Even Slade would never have done this!"

"They are both going down for this." Cyborg continues as Nightwing tries to calm himself down.

"Won't bring Kole or Gnarrk back." Nightwing sighs.

_Elsewhere on the Watchtower:_

"Friend Beastboy, you look sad." Starfire says as she enters the room Beastboy has been borrowing from the League where he is lying on the bed looking glum.

"I was just thinking about Terra. I just don't know, I mean if she really killed the others, how can I still feel something for her?" He asks as he stares into the ceiling from his bed.

"Perhaps you feel something for someone who is not there?" Starfire ventures.

"Do you think she really acted with everything she did, even when we first met her?" He asks as she sits down next to him.

"I do not know, but we must wait till the League has done the search of her mind." Starfire sighs, knowing that Raven was not the right person for that job.

"Yeah, but what if she was really acting, pretending everything we thought we knew of her?" He continues.

"In a way, I believe it will be easier if she was always a bad person." Starfire says after a few seconds before the two fall into silence, thinking about the geomancer sitting in the cell. Like it or not, they both know they were the two easiest for Terra manipulate if she wanted to.

"_Keystone and Central City, home of the fastest men alive."_ Raven reads the huge sign at the city limits, showing both the names of the conjoined cities, the Flash's logo and four generation's of the Flash running from left to right at the bottom, where Wally and another in an almost identical costume is depicted in the center, Kid Flash is the one to the left and to Raven an unknown Flash to the right, wearing a polished metal hat with wings, a red shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it along and a blue pair of pants.

"_Jay Garrick, the first actual Flash, he should be there as well."_ Flash says from the inside, noticing Raven looking a little longer at the man's image._ "Why were you reading?"_

"_I was just wondering what it was like living in a city where you were actually liked."_ Raven replies.

"_Well they throw us a parade once a year on Flash Appreciation Day and mostly they are happy that we are around to keep the rogues in line. Didn't they have something like that in Jump City, like a Titan Appreciation Day?"_

"_With Robin on our team?" _Raven sends back.

"_Ah good point. Hey, don't give me that look Bats."_ Raven smirks as she can see Batman glaring at Flash. _"So you didn't?"_

"_Nope and when they moved out, I got religious fanatics running after me."_ Raven sighs._ "So where are we going?"_

"_North end, look for a special mailbox." _Flash replies.

"_Wally has a public identity."_ Batman sighs, revealing how problematic he thought it was that Wally had decided to reveal himself as Raven flies over the city into an area consisting of parcel houses with gardens.

"_Let me guess, that house with the red and yellow mailbox?"_ Raven asks as she spots the thing that looks like the top of Wally's costume.

"_Yup…hey are they barbequing?"_ He asks noticing the people in his garden standing by the lit grill.

"_Perhaps they are celebrating the peace and quiet?" _John asks, getting a snicker out of some of the other Leaguers and a thin smile on Raven's lips.

"_Ha ha. I knew we should have called ahead."_ The speedster sighs.

"_Your choice."_ Raven reminds him._ "I just hope Kid Flash hasn't said something that is going to spoil the barbeque."_

"_Me too." _Flash agrees as Raven touches down on the sidewalk in front of the house before she walks to the door and rings the doorbell, before her finger presses the button all the way down a spiky brown haired boy in baggy pants and a red shirt with a Flash logo on its center appears besides her.

"Hey Raven…umm where's Wally?" The kid asks, inwardly both Raven and Wally groans.

"In two places, still." Raven sighs. "Please don't tell me all of those people in the garden are expecting him as well?"

"Erm…yeah, they kinda are…" Bart says as he blushes heavily.

"Seems like someone owes me 5 bucks." A girl's voice says behind the kid, the speaker proves to be a smiling Jinx who is leaning on the outer wall of the house. "Hey Raven." She adds apparently as an afterthought.

"Hello Jinx, guess I better go kill the mood of everyone back there." Raven sighs as she begins walking around the house. Coming into the back garden, finding a host of people there; an elderly man with graying hair tending the grill, Raven puts him in his sixties.

"_That's Jay, he's the only one who's got enough patience to stay there."_ Wally says from the inside. _"His wife Joan and Linda."_ He says as Raven notes a woman around Jay's age chatting idly with an Asian looking woman. _"And the blonde and autumn heads over there are Barry and Iris Allen." _He continues when Raven spots the two people who seem too busy cuddling with each other to notice the rest. The group of people, not counting Jay are seated around a shaded wooden table fully decked up to serve nine people.

"Oh hey there." Jay says while waving a hand wearing an oven mitt as he notices Raven who is pulling her hood back again. "Guess you must be Raven?"

"Yeah, everyone look, it seems there has been a mistake somewhere." Raven says as the others look up at her.

"Or just someone who's a bit too fast with spreading news before confirming them." Jinx says from behind Raven.

"I am only serving notice to you about the current situation, to answer any questions I am able to and for you to talk to Wally if you want to." As if the sun suddenly hides behind a cloud, Raven can feel the atmosphere change for the worse, but not as much as she had feared, Linda seem to be the most down hearted by this.

"Well I guess it was a bit much to hope for." Jay sighs. "But Jinx did say something like this wouldn't just happen."

"Yes I did." Jinx confirms quietly while letting on a small slime of self satisfaction getting a look from Bart for the remark.

"Oh well, no reason to spoil a perfectly good barbeque." Barry says. "And Wally is still here, in a way, according to those two." He continues while nodding at Jinx and Kid Flash who is returning to their seats, while Linda gets up motioning for Raven to follow her inside the house.

"So this is not just a joke on his part?" She asks as Raven closes the door behind them.

"Afraid not honey." Flash says from inside of Raven.

"Wally?" Linda asks in surprise. "Is that really you in there?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm here. Look I know things might get a little weird for a period, but I know we can get through this together...in a way." Linda whimpers a bit as he talks.

"I know." Linda sniffs. "I'm just so happy to hear your voice."

"Umm, Raven, not that that I mind the shapeshifting trick, but could Linda come in here by any chance? I just think it's a little weird if it's really you and not me that's wandering around out there?" Linda looks a bit surprised at Wally's suggestion.

"Sure." Raven replies, not knowing how Wally actually looks like without his costume, it might actually be better. "That is if you want to?" She asks Linda.

"I…ok…but could you tell me where I am going?" Linda asks, looking a bit worried.

"You are going into my head, where I am sheltering Wally and the others. There will be others beside the League, but they shouldn't interfere. Also if you see me in there with a cloak of a different color, don't be alarmed if they act a bit weird." Raven says. "You might want to sit down."

"They?" Linda asks while sitting down in the couch facing the TV while Raven sits cross legged behind her, hovering over the floor.

"My emotions, but where Wally is, they shouldn't bother you. Ok, just relax and close your eyes." Raven says as she puts her fingers on Linda's temples. Linda feels a sudden rush of cold and the sense of moving really fast before she hears a familiar voice.

"_Hi honey."_

"So what is it with you magicians and fashion?" Barry asks Jinx who is seated next to before he stuffs another bite of his hotdog into his mouth.

"What? We just happen to share similarities in what we like to wear. Except Raven has a major thing for blue." Jinx replies knowing Barry likes to categorize people and has already put Raven and herself into the same box. "Besides it's not like either me or Raven look exactly normal."

"Actually I thought she looked pretty good at the Presidential Ball." Iris chips in.

"Who wah? Last I checked Raven was hard enough to drag out for the small Titan gatherings we had?" Jinx asks, not having watched the event on TV.

"You didn't see it?" Iris asks before getting a shaking head.

"Oh her dress was lovely, only the back was a bit open." Joan adds. "It couldn't match Princess Diana's however."

"Whoa, back up. When did Raven do Balls and when did she start doing dresses or did the world recently fall off its axis and I didn't notice?" Jinx exclaims, getting confused if they were just joking or not.

"You didn't watch the arrivals at the Ball?" Joan adds, getting another shaking head.

"Well your friend arrived with Wonder Woman." Iris continues. "I didn't know the Titans had and an Amazon on the team?"

"The heat must be getting to me." Jinx sighs. "Raven isn't an Amazon…she spent two weeks over there recently as a part her tryout for the League, but…"

"You haven't noticed what she is wearing." Jay adds, getting a stomped expression out of Jinx as he taps his wrist. "Go take a look and see what those two are up to will you?"

Jinx just nods at the older man before getting out of her seat and walks over to peek in the windows into the living room, Linda is crying but looks happy as she sits calmly in the sofa, with Raven hovering behind her with a calm expression on her face with her hands on Linda's temples, while her powers are idly flipping through a magazine on the table. This is where Jinx notices the metal bracelets that circle around Raven's wrists before Jinx returns to her seat with a miffed expression on her face.

"Bart, would you wake me up when the world goes back to boring old normal?" She asks her boyfriend, getting a round of chuckles from the others.

"So are they just talking?" Joan asks, getting the cat eyed sorceresses' attention.

"Erm, I think Linda is visiting Wally inside Raven's head or she is soothing her mind somehow." Jinx replies.

"She can do that?" Jay asks.

"I'm not sure anymore." Jinx admits. "Raven wasn't the Titan I'd thought would end up an Amazon, if any."

"She wasn't always one?" Iris asks.

"No, or she was better at hiding that than anything else, and that's saying something." Jinx continues.

"I'm sure we can grill her about that when she gets back." Barry adds with a smile. "So do you know if she got the same pigmentation the way you did?"

"Yes, I know why, but that I won't answer on the ground that it is something she doesn't want to talk about normally. And no Barry, I still wasn't dropped into a box of magic as a kid." Jinx replies while eying the man next to her that didn't buy her repeated explanation. "All I will say is that my childhood is preferable to hers." Jinx finishes before taking a bite out of her cooling hotdog.

Raven and Linda emerges out of the house a few minutes later, one a bit puffy eyed the other in her usual stoic.

"I'm sorry about the lamp." Raven says as she closes the door behind her.

"Don't worry about it; it was after all our fault." Linda replies while wiping her eyes again. "We didn't follow the one rule you mentioned in there. At least it wasn't our wedding photo."

"What's with the misty eyes Lin?" Barry asks from his seat.

"Well, now I know why Lois Lane is in love with Superman." Linda replies with a smile as she sits down next to Jay at the edge of the table, Wally had taken her flying inside Raven's head, while artificial, still felt real to them both.

"I won't pretend to know what happened in there." Barry sighs. "But I think Jinx wants to grill Raven over a few questions." Jinx's eyes go a bit wide at the suggestion as Raven raises an eyebrow at her.

"Hell no, I'm fond of living." Jinx says a little too suddenly for her own liking, rememebering that Raven can sense her emotions she quickly continues. "Barry thinks we are sisters or something." This time it is the man who almost chokes on his hotdog as Raven's attention shifts to him.

"_He is a forensic analyzer, he likes putting people into categories."_ Wally says from the inside.

"Well, I can see you are the one with all the questions, so why don't you ask them?" Raven replies to Barry with a slight smile.

"I was just wondering if you two are related and if you buy clothes the same place?" The man finally says with a smile, Raven can feel both Bart and Jinx unconsciously trying to distance themselves from the man as Jay and Wally sigh.

"Fortunately I am an only child and I just like this." Raven finally replies.

"Fortunately?" Barry asks, this time Jinx visibly leans away from him and Bart stops chewing. "What? Do I have something contagious?" Raven sighs.

"Only Raven happens to be really touchy about **that** subject." Jinx says.

"Can't be that bad?" Barry asks.

"Depends if you think being half demon and a born doomsday device I guess." Raven shrugs, getting that awkward silence again.

"Anything Dr. Fate should know about?" Jay asks after a few seconds.

"Happened years ago." Raven sighs. "If you wouldn't mind Mr. Allen, this is not a subject I am comfortable talking about, probably never will."

"And I would prefer you not spoiling a good barbeque by making her mad. Believe me; that's not something you want." Wally says from the inside, making most of the others jump. "What? I can see and hear what she can, and steal her voice if she lets me."

"Ok…I am officially weirded out now." Bart says.

"I'll switch channel, less Wally, more Batman." Raven says, getting a grumble out of the man in black while Wally loses his voice to the amusement of some of the others.

"Now that is handy." Jinx smiles. "So Raven, you were not just hot off a week of training on Themyscira when you jumped me in Detroit?" Jinx asks, inwardly Raven thanks her for the change of subject.

"I was actually, but no I was inducted a week before I found out you named your cat after me." Raven replies, trying to ease the mood by letting a lighter tone enter her voice than the one she had grown into while talking to Barry.

"Hey, that reminds me, how is Polly doing these days?" Jay asks as the thought strikes him.

"Polly?...You mean Hippolyta?" Raven asks in surprise.

"Sure I do, Diana doesn't know it, but her mother went off to fight the Nazis with me and a few others during the War, but I think most of the world has forgotten about the first Wonder Woman." Jay explains.

"Well, now I know why she went into solitude for a suspiciously long time." Diana speaks up.

"Ah…drat." Jay suddenly looks embarrassed, the others look freaked. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Well they hear and see everything I want them to, which is everything I can." Raven admits. "But to answer your question, Hippolyta is fine, stern and currently worried sick because I went to her before I came here."

"Not to mention she was about to chop your head off."Diana reminds her.

"And that." Raven agrees.

"Sounds like your mother to me." Jay says. "She always was quick with that sword of hers, too quick sometimes." He adds.

"Here we go, into the War stories." Barry groans, bored already.

"Well if Raven wants to, why don't you just sit down and enjoy a few stories, I'm sure Diana would like to know what her mother has been up to?" Linda suggests, she had met the others inside of Raven and is finding the others reactions fairly amusing. "And I'm sure us girls want to grill you for inside information about the ball and the dresses." That last mention puts Raven off; she had not even bothered looking too closely at the dresses worn.

"Umm, before you do that, can Jinx and I have a second of Raven's time, Titan business?" Bart says, finally working up the nerve to ask.

"Sure." Raven replies as the two get up and walks to the living room.

"Nightwing spilled the beans on what Terra may have done." Jinx sighs after the door is closed.

"I've been at the places some are missing from; I only found Kole and her caveman." Bart sighs, Raven lowers her eyes and she had hoped it was just a twisted fantasy.

"I guess you know about Argent as well?" She asks, getting a single nod from the couple. "Who else are we missing?" She asks quietly.

"Hotspot, Pantha, the twins, Wildebeest and your Kids." Raven sighs heavily at Jinx's mentions.

"I fear I know where they are." She says. "But I can't go, it's just too much, I can see Terra's memories I…" She is cut off by a hug from Jinx.

"Don't think about it." She orders. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about the Kids." Raven sniffs.

"Thank you." Raven says as she returns the hug.

"Raven, if you tell us where we might find them. I'll get some of the guys around to check it out." Bart suggests, Raven nods after letting go of Jinx and begins writing when she is handed a pen and a piece of paper.

_Raven's Mind:_

"I will say this is one of your crazier ideas." Flash says at the conference table on the satellite while Raven was listening to Jay's stories.

"Not to mention very risky if she finds out about this." Shayera adds.

"No point in delaying it." Batman says, having outlined the topic of the meeting. "And she already knows we are having this meeting and she knew it was going to happen at some point regardless. So the question is, has Raven crossed the line of what we are willing to accept in terms of behavior in the field? Diana." Batman says to the Princess who knows her opinion in the matter is weighted much lighter than usually, since she was the one Raven did it for.

"I for one will not speak against her on the matters of how she reached me, but I won't say she could not have handled Dr. Light differently. On the matters after I was escorted out, I cannot say how I would have acted if I learned what Raven did."

"It is not a question on how we would have acted in her shoes, but how she did act." Batman mentions. "And for those who don't know, the Kids are a trio of meta-human children Raven was once assigned to escort, during the mission she developed a strong bond with them and would regularly go visit them till the first Titan team disbanded."

"They may not have been family, but Raven's reaction was as strong as any mother would have been." Diana continues, Superman holds up his hand.

"On that note, I will just add that even then she could be reasoned with and only one guard and the Joker have any injuries to really speak of it."

"I think we should just shelve that part of the incident." Flash says. "We all have feelings and I doubt any of us would have reacted differently if it had been us, even you." He says as he looks at Batman.

"Don't." Batman says firmly while staring at the man knowing what the man is thinking of.

"I agree." Superman says.

"I am indecisive about the situation after the thing with Terra." John says. "What we do is a war, and we are soldiers. And soldiers can't afford to lose their senses at any time no matter what happens around them, that is what we are told in boot camp. The reason I am indecisive is that, what you are told in a room far from danger rarely works the same way in the field. But I have seen it work, but I have also seen it fail."

"I won't hold that part against her; I should be the last of us that do after what I did in Vegas." Shayera says.

"Neither will I." J'onn says without elaborating, the others know he is thinking of his own family.

"So what is your take on this Bruce?" Diana asks.

"She should not have acted that strongly, she simply wields too much power to do so. But I know how she bottles up her emotions and I know what that will do to a person, eventually. This was the straw that broke the camel's back."

"It's shelved then." Superman concludes. "I don't think we should waste time on her methods on how she gets information, extreme as they are."

"What happened to Gizmo and Killer Frost was border lining on torture." John mentions. "And she could have gotten the information another way."

"You saw how she reacted when she forced her way into Terra's mind." Flash mentions. "And she doesn't get the information instantly like J'onn."

"She was playing up to an already established belief." Batman mentions. "If you look scary, you have to act scary. And if she is not careful, she risks permanently damaging the minds she enters."

"I think she is taking after you to a worrying degree." Shayera mentions. "This is a moot point anyways, we don't ask how you get the information you do and sometimes, I think that is for the best." Internally Batman smiles to himself at the remark.

"So we have the matter of the clones, Lobo, Croc and Light remaining along with leaving the brainwashed people in the corridors." John mentions.

"On the question of Croc and Lobo, Raven knew at the time of her actions that they can regenerate." Batman mentions. "After she was made aware of the computer in her room, she spent an hour and 37 minutes with Lobo's file open. And the mention of Croc's regenerative abilities was available to her in files I provided her while she was undercover in Gotham. Including the details of an incident where Croc chewed is own arm off."

"Ew…" Flash says while looking disgusted at the thought.

"Animal." John sighs. "And as you have said, she, like you, has an incredible capacity for memory."

"You should visit Wisdom's realm." J'onn mentions, having tried a few times to engage the memory emotion in conversation.

"So again, extreme but within the boundaries of reason." Superman surmises. "So what about her leaving the brainwashed behind?"

"I would like to know more about how it was done." Batman mentions. "I suspect there was more at work than just Dr. Psycho. Since none of them returned to their senses after he was knocked out."

"And you have an idea?" Shayera notes.

"So far we have not heard of what happened to the dragon corpse. From Zatanna I have been told that almost every part of a dragon can be used in some ritual or spell, possibly they were under a spell that wouldn't simply break when the caster was contained."

"So you think she may have known she did not have time to examine and cure them?" Shayera surmises, getting a nod from Batman. "So that narrows it down to her abandoning Ollie, Speedy and Zatanna in enemy territory, till we know more that is."

"So, the clones." Flash adds.

"We know clones can be made to be what the maker wants." Superman mentions. "And we have seen the remaining ones are catatonic, I doubt Lex made them for anything other than following his orders."

"But did she know?" Diana adds.

"I believe she did." J'onn says. "She would be able to see it in their mind patterns and the thoughts and feeling they projected, if any. Also I learned from Wisdom that the three were holding Cyborg at gun point."

"I will not get into the discussion about if a clone has as much right to life as a born person." Superman says. "But it appears Lex didn't make those with a purpose beyond fighting. But I don't condone they way she handled it."

"Personally I think we should look at them like robots no matter how human they look, they weren't." Flash says. "If Raven could really tell them apart from a real person, I don't see why this should be criticized."

"We will have to ask her about what she knew about this." John notes. "Which leaves only Dr. Light and his arm."

"I will say this." Diana says before anyone else can say something. "The treatment that transforms an ordinary woman or girl into an Amazon has a psychological angle to it in addition to the physical one. We remained on our island for over three thousand years with little desire to venture out into Man's World, but we still have need of love in some degree. The gods eased this part by simply directing it onto ourselves, our love for our sisters would replace what love we might place in a man. I know this won't justify her maiming of him, but I will say this. Dr. Light came very close to doing what Bruce once warned me about and I won't judge her for her actions because I know I would have done the same had our roles been reversed." Diana says firmly.

"What there is between you and Raven, is for you two alone." Batman says, remembering the first image in the pool, it had been fast, but he had seen it and he is sure both Wally and Clark had as well. "But a man is maimed for life because of her and she admitted that she wanted to kill him."

"And again, she was talked down from doing so, by a person who had no power over save through words, and from what you have told me she even healed his wound to a degree so he wouldn't die from his injury." Diana argues.

"Unfortunately, the desire to kill was the reason we…I removed the Huntress from the League." J'onn mentions.

"It is not the same." John counters. "Huntress planned for years to try, Raven was a spur of a moment. She came down to get Diana, not mutilate or murder Dr. Light."

"Yet the result would have been the same if outside forces did not act against them." Shayera notes.

"We are going to argue in circles about this." Superman says. "I say we need to vote, can we allow Raven to continue in the League based upon her actions against Dr. Light? Those in favor of letting her continue as a League member, raise your hand."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Ahh, will Dr. Light ruin everything for Raven once again? Or will they allow it to slide? Find out in the next and final chapter of Scars.


	40. Aftermath pt 5: A Change in Leadership

"Hey Cy." Bart says to the half machine on the screen.

"Yo Kid, how's it going?" Cyborg replies as Steel begins welding part of his left arm on.

"Everything is good here, well, except I want to get a few people together. Me and Jinx asked Raven about the ones we are missing and she's given us the places we should look." Cyborg sighs. "But she couldn't come and help."

"I know, I will send out a message and let you know who is interested, I will be when I got my arms back on."

"Me too." Beastboy says as he enters the workshop followed by Starfire, having heard the last part and guessed the rest. "The Kids are still missing?"

"Yeah." Cyborg sighs.

"I'll go there." Beastboy says firmly. "If Terra is really behind this, I want to see it."

"As will I." Starfire adds.

"I hope you guys know what you are in for if this turns out real?" Kid Flash asks.

"No, and it's probably better." Beastboy says. "If nothing else, Raven deserves to know if they are really gone."

"This should only take a few hours." Steel says quietly.

"I'll go with you when I am ready." Cyborg says to the other two Titans in the room.

"Where ever you are heading, I suggest you inform the local law enforcement." Steel mentions.

"I will find something to bring back Kole and Gnarrk with, I'm transmitting the coordinates, I hope you won't find anything." Kid Flash sighs before turning off, having heard an alarm in the background.

_Keystone-Central City:_

"Figures you types have to spoil a perfectly good barbeque." Barry complains as he moves out of the way of a boomerang that explodes harmlessly behind him. Jay had gotten well into his old stories, much to Barry's annoyance Raven proved to be an eager listener.

"Well mate, we have bills to pay." The thrower, Captain Boomerang, says.

"Not like we asked you to break up your family time." The Mirror Master adds while keeping an eye on Jay who is trying to escape from the mirror dimension he had been sent to.

"In a way you did by tripping the alarm." Barry counters. Even without Captain Cold to lead them, the Rogues are dangerous lot, considering there is 8 of them, and they rarely operate alone. Jay had fallen into an old trap of a mirror left on the ground, leaving Barry to face down the 8 Rogues counting Abra Kadabra, Heatwave, Weather Wizard, Pied Piper and his host of rats, Trickster who looks uncomfortable in his costume and the Top, while waiting for back up. They are squaring off on the steps in front of Keystone's third national bank, a large marble structure that looks like a Greek temple from the front. "Look, why don't you just give up, you know you can't win."

"Yeah and that will save us some jail time in the Iron Heights?" Heatwave asks.

"No, but it will save you the injuries." Barry says before having to move again as several attacks are made against him, leaving a bubbling hole in the ground where he stood. "Come on, without Cold, you don't have a chance to stop me." Barry says before something blows up next to him, a small top, that sends him flying.

"You always were over confident mate." Captain Boomerang says before throwing one of his namesakes.

"Hey buddy, catch!" Jinx's voice filters through the air before a pink bolt hits Boomerang.

"Ha, didn't even tickle!" The man laughs as his boomerang is avoided by Barry before it returns and smacks its owner on the side of the head, completely missing his outstretched hand. "Hey!"

"Eeep!" Jinx is suddenly forced to quell her remark and leap several times to avoid the ranged attacks coming at her, before she is sent flying by a lightning bolt that comes too close to striking her.

"Hey, that my girlfriend your shooting at!" Kid Flash growls as he proceeds to run the Wizard into a whirlwind.

"What is this? A free for all?" Heatwave growls as he aims his flame throwing pistol at Bart. "WOW!" He yells in surprise as the alley behind him seems to come alive and swallows him.

"Rogues form up!" Boomerang yells as he throws another boomerang, this one cutting into Bart's path, forcing him to drop the Wizard, the others quickly regroup, forming a circle in the center of the road facing every direction "Got some other bogey!" He says the oblivious as a dark shape stands tall on a low roof overlooking the road before it shoots something across the road and swings down with its black cloak billowing behind it like black fire.

"No way!" Bart says as Batman's feet crash into the Tops chest, sending the yellow and green striped man flying into Captain Boomerang who had his back to him, before Batman uses the sudden stop to back flip himself onto his feet managing one word before he moves again.

"Punks." He growls before elbowing Abra Kadabra in the nose as he spins to bring his right boot up to kick away the Pipers flute and thus his means to control his rodents and the minds of others. As a follow up he turns around enough for him to hold his back horizontally and look down into the ground, as Wizard swings his bulky rod at him like a club that passes over Batman. With the rod out of the way, he quickly rises as he punches the Wizard in the ribs with enough force to crack some of them. Not pausing for a second he leaps into backwards hand stand, kicking Kadabra in the head before landing, after a little set off, on Captain Boomerang who had just pushed the unconscious Top off him before offhandedly punching Mirror Master in the face. Eying the Trickster once before Batman quickly disappears down an alley, leaving the two speedsters and the sorceress staring at the group of people on the ground.

"That couldn't have been him." Barry says as he blurs out of sight for a second before reappearing at his previous spot, holding Pipers flute in his hands. "There's no sign of him."

"Let just be cool about this." Jinx says, having guessed who it really was. "So where did the guy with the flame thrower go?" She asks looking around herself as if he should appear out of the ground.

"Back here." Bart says as he looks into the alleyway Heatwave disappeared into, finding the man lying out cold in a dumpster, behind them they hear glass shattering as Jay returns to the real world.

"Seems I've missed all the fun?" He says noticing the Rogues, in the distance Piper just throws up his hands and sits down on the ground.

"Only Batman doing his thing." Jinx adds with a smile.

"_I have to get going, sorry if it's like this."_ Raven sends to Jinx.

"_Hey no problem, anyways, nice imitation."_ Jinx sends back.

"_Thanks."_

"_A little more graceful that I would have done it." _Bruce says as Raven makes her way out of town_. "But nicely handled even if you left Trickster standing."_

"_He wasn't going to attack."_ Raven sends back. _"Heard about him, he's a mental patient, not Gotham kind of crazy, but he gets dangerous if he is in his get up for too long. And that usually only happens when the others convinces him to put it on."_ She is quiet for a second.

"_True." _He sends back. _"You were aware of the meeting?"_ He asks, arriving at the real reason they are talking.

"_Yes, but I made it a point of not listening in, even if I guessed it purpose." _

"_I figured you would, what irks us is the matter regarding Dr. Light…" _He starts.

"_Look Bruce, not to be rude, but until you are safely inside your own bodies, I would rather not know what you ended up deciding, on the simple account that some might find it conspicuous if I failed in reviving you all if I knew you were going to kick me out of the League. But if you force the issue, you are still the leaders." _

"_We do and you need to hear our reasons." _Batman says. _"But get hold of Guardians and the others first."_

"_I'll meet with you tonight before I turn in."_

"_Good enough."_ Batman agrees.

"Mr. Terrific? It's Raven, any chance you have the teleporters up and running again?" Raven says into her communicator.

"_Yup, incoming beam."_ The man at the other end replies.

_The Watchtower:_

"Greetings Raven of Earth, Sector 2814." One of the elderly blue aliens greets Raven as they appear on the holographic screen in the main hall. "How can the Green Lantern Corps be of service?"

"I suspect you know of the recent event s that took place here on Earth?" Raven asks.

"We know of the demise of John Steward, he was a good Lantern." The guardian replies flatly.

"This may sound a little strange, but there may be a chance of his return." Raven replies, noticing the speaker remains as blank as ever.

"Hmm, a resurrection of dead flesh is not unheard of, but abominable." He sighs.

"I mean, the person John Steward returning as he was, as a living being." Raven replies while putting her hands on her back.

"Elaborate, please. Our attentions where elsewhere at the time, yet we know of the ring's signals."

"John Steward encountered a hostile force known as the Spectre and was killed by it. But what we call the soul, lingered on this plane of existence. Because of my nature and abilities, I offered him and others shelter within me till it is known if a rebirth is possible or not. I am contacting you for three reasons, one is as a notification in case you didn't know, the second is a question from John if his ring would return to him in such an event."

"The rings choose their wearers, as you know, in the event of death it would begin searching for a suitable replacement. John Steward must be selected again this way, should he return." The little blue man says.

"Well that's just it; no one can confirm that the ring has left Earth as it was reported seized by the one wielding the Spectre." Raven argues as the alien turns to one of his colleagues who's eyes shine for a moment before shaking his head.

"Peculiar, we cannot trace it and it has not been reported destroyed." He says as he returns. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. You mentioned a third reason for this conversation."

"Yes, as you know John Steward is a member of a prominent team based here on Earth and the presence of a Green Lantern will be sorely missed. So we would respectfully request the presence of one, if only temporarily." The alien nods.

"As you may know, a Lantern has a vast area of space he must patrol and that he answers to the Corp first of all."

"As John Steward and the Justice League used to, we continues to respect your terms." Raven replies firmly, having listened to the longer version John gave her before making the call.

"Very well, luck would have it that Green Lantern of Sector 2814 Kyle Rayner passed his final graduation a few of your planetary rotations ago. Having him assigned to you may prove beneficial to him. But he must remember he is responsible for more than just Earth."

"_Although I would have preferred Hal Jordan, at least they didn't choose Gardener."_ John mentions from the inside.

"We will make sure that he does. Thank you." Raven says. "I have said what I wished to."

"Before I bid you good day, Ganthet whishes you should know that Blackfire of Tamaran was recently collected by a detail from Tamaran bearing the royal seal."

"I thought you held onto people who murdered Lanterns?" Raven asks, for her short amount of interaction with him, Ganthet didn't seem like the sort that would lie.

"We do, but Blackfire proved to have alibis, tagging the actual killings on others while she profited. As you know we release our prisoners to worlds who would wish to pass judgment over them." Raven quirks an eyebrow at the information, but remains calm.

"I understand, but I will hope that she does not find her way to Earth. Good day to you Guardian." She says before the feed closes.

"So we get another GL?" Nightwing asks as he has stood and listened to most of the conversation.

"Yeah, they are sending Kyle. And apparently someone has retrieved Blackfire." She sighs.

"Well let's hope she doesn't come to Earth again."

"Let's, for her sake. So how is the list coming?" She asks

"Well Kyle is the last one on the list, so initial meeting will begin a few hours after he gets here."

"I should begin reading." She says before a yawn suddenly has her covering up. "Excuse me."

"You do look tired, go back to the Manor and rest, I'll handle the meeting. But just be ready in case some of them need the Founders words."

"I think it's that's a good idea." She admits. "I will see you later then."

"Sure."

_Wayne Manor:_

Alfred and Tim had been quite reasonable, Raven agrees as she sits down on the floor in her room in Wayne Manor. When she had got there, they had almost pulled her off to the kitchen for a bit of supper and a barrage of questions from Tim, while Alfred kept up expressing his hope that Master Bruce would return. For once, Bruce actually kept quiet on the inside. And now, after a bit of thinking and writing down a list of books she would need to ask Dr. Fate about, she is getting ready to face the League in her head.

"Raven? Good you came." Superman says as she opens her eyes in her mind, standing in the conference room of the station.

"Bruce wouldn't let me say no." Raven says with a weak smile as the others filter into the room before taking their seats, Raven makes a chair for herself appear.

"Ok, this is what we have come to call 'the lecture'. " Superman says with a slightly harder voice than normally. "Where we mostly talk and you listen, the reason for this; is your behavior in the field, concerning your actions against Dr. Light." Raven nods at him. "We all saw that first image in Hippolyta's pool, but no matter of what there is between you two, it does not validate your actions. We have all had some time to get to know you and we all agree that you acted completely out of character. I know this sounds cold, but you should have acted differently, the first action should never end in bloodshed. But we want to know your side of this." He finishes.

"Like I said, I wasn't thinking when I acted. As I told you, I have seen what happened to the women Dr. Light gets his hands on and I suddenly had the image of Diana being found, like them, in the dumpsters Light dropped his victims in. Usually they were covered in burn marks and a bold proclamation from him that he did it, usually he did that by burning his name into them along with a cheap joke. I swore that I would never let him get another one after I searched his only surviving victim, but I failed that promise when I found him. The girl was a stray, no more than 14 I'd guess, during the ensuring fight with him, he made a deliberate move to silence her and blew her head off. I know all of this doesn't matter, it shouldn't, but it did. I acted in a way I shouldn't and I have to answer up for it." She says.

"Do you regret it?" Batman asks, Raven seems to think for a moment before replying.

"Yes, because of the consequences it has brought about." She replies. "When you first extended the offer to me, I decided to try and live up to the standards you have set, with this action, I have failed my own ambition as I have broken the law and the unwritten code of conduct that I believe the League follows."

"Did you fail as an Amazon?" Diana asks.

"Yes." Raven replies flatly. "I did not reach you in time. And now you are here because I was not fast enough to reach Luthor. If you wish it of me, I will leave the League and submit to the proper authorities." The others look at each other, except Batman who just shakes his head.

"You misunderstand us; we are not going to kick you out. But we are letting you know that this is one and only time you will be allowed to walk away from something like this, if it happens again, we will be forced to throw the book at you on the grounds that you can be pushed to do it." Batman says. "Have I made myself clear?" He asks with a little menace in his voice.

"Very." Raven says while giving him a single nod, she knows he is being serious, but that he is probably also a reason why she has not been removed already.

"Good, we are done here." Batman continues as he gets up.

"I forgot to mention one thing and it has nothing to do with this meeting." Raven says quietly as she gets up, grabbing the others attention. "I know from the residents of Azerath that when I am asleep, things here tend to get, strange, and dangerous in some cases. I have been told it has ranged from tricks of light kind of things to battles between monsters. Nightmares tend to be the worst of them. If you want to, you can stay in the council room, where none of this stuff has ever come near, according to my mother."

"Considering our potential limitations here, I suggest it may be best if we spend at least one night in a safer area." J'onn says, they had remained in the council room the night before.

"Agreed." Batman says before he walks out of the room as Raven fades from view, it doesn't escape Diana's notice that she was looking very downhearted.

_The Watchtower:_

"First of all I would like to thank you all for coming." Richard, dressed in the cape and cowl of Batman, says to the seated people at the table in front of him. "Now I want to inform you about the reason for this meeting. Two days ago, the founding members of the League, were killed in action. But they may have a chance of returning to life, which is being looked into as we speak. We are here, because Batman planned for this possibility. And we here represent what he believed would be the best alternative to the original seven, so welcome to the 'Council' and the League, Captain Marvel, Flash, Green Arrow, Jason Blood, Atom, Green Lantern and Donna Troy. Yes Jason?" He finishes as the man raises a hand.

"While I do appreciate his gesture, but why have I been chosen for this? There are other mages, others who are more in control of themselves, others who aren't drowning in the darkness I am." He says.

"Batman left a message for you, as he anticipated this." Richard says as he presses a button, having Batman appear on a screen behind him.

"Jason, if you are hearing this, it means I am either dead or missing, along with the other Founders and Nightwing has summoned you to be in the League's Council. I have chosen you for your capabilities both as a mage and for what Etrigan can bring, remember the Council was never a collection of the most powerful individuals in the League. And with regards to your concern about your worthiness, you have kept the heart of hell within you for eons now, do the same for the world." Bruce says as the clip ends.

"So who gets to lead this shindig?" Barry asks.

"The League never had a solitary leader; it was too much power for one man or woman to have." Richard says. "But we will need to be able to work as a team in the field if needed and…"

"Don't worry kiddo, Old Ollie will lead you all to victory." Green Arrow interrupts while fiddling with his new bow, getting a host of sighs and rolling eyes, mainly because it hadn't taken them long to get an impression of him.

"I think, when it comes to leading teams, Batman has the experience the rest of us lacks." Donna says.

"With the wisdom of Solomon, I agree with Donna." Captain Marvel says, giving Richard a nod of approval.

"As do I." Jason chips in.

"Any of you wanna root for Ollie?" Green Arrow asks in an almost defeated tone at the Atom, Kyle and Flash.

"Sorry Ollie, but I'll stick with Bat's Jr." Barry says.

"Umm, I'll go with the guy with a Bat on his chest." Kyle notes, feeling very out of place as he is.

"How about you Atom?" Ollie continues.

"It will be a little weird, but I don't have anything against taking orders from one that could be one of my students." Ray Palmer says calmly, though he is actually really weirded out by all of this.

"Oh well, I bow to the majority." Ollie finally gives up.

"Ok, I will try my best; it's been a few years since I last issued any orders. Anyways, that is all for now, besides the matter of those of us who are dressing up." He says while looking at Marvel and Donna.

"You will have to settle with me wearing a copy as I have no right to wear her armor." Donna says. "Or we can just say Diana is recuperating on Themyscira."

"Only if you are uncomfortable with pretending to be her. This is purely a matter of symbolism and if everything goes wrong, we will have to inform the world about the truth." Batman says while giving her a nod, knowing from Bruce that the Armor of the Gods was not something an Amazon would just take.

"While I find it peculiar to wear his uniform, I understand the need for it. But I ask that I be allowed to wear my own colors from time to time, or the wizard may begin to grumble." Captain Marvel continues.

"If called out to a League matter, you can wear your own if you have the time to change, but Metropolis would quickly notice the absence of Superman, I'll talk to you later about the people Superman regularly interacts with. But that is all, unless any of you have questions?" Batman asks. "Marvel?" He asks as the man again raises his hand.

"I only wish to have the chance to speak to the one I hear is containing the Founders, it's a request from the Wizard." The big man says.

"I am sure you will get the chance." Batman replies."But I will let you know when and where you can meet her."

* * *

**Authors Note: **And that was it for Scars, besides for one chapter I am currently considering needs to be added or not for a few reasons.

People have been hurt, some have been restored, some are in need of restoring and some are beyond it.

Find out what trials and difficulties Raven and the others need to go through to try and restore the Founders in **Raven Rising: A Quest for Rebirth**. There might be magic, blood, demons, and army or two and two beings that stand head and shoulders above the Spectre.


End file.
